Infantino wants jerseys made in Africa by the 2026 World Cup
Published: Saturday, Feb 24th 2024, 14:50
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants 100 percent of the football shirts for the 2026 World Cup to be made in Africa. He hopes for quick results from the partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO), said Infantino on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
It is "clear" that there must be kits made entirely in Africa by 2026, said the Valaisan at a meeting to support West African cotton-growing countries. "Football is an important player in the global economy". But 70 percent of the revenue is generated in Europe.
"We must bring some of this money back to Africa," said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala two days before the opening of the organization's 13th Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi.
A study is to be completed in the coming months in order to concretize the efforts of the partnership between FIFA and the WTO for Coton 4 (Chad, Burkina Faso, Benin and Mali) and Côte d'Ivoire. The aim is to involve these countries in the sportswear market, which is worth around 200 billion US dollars.
The initiative has the potential to reach millions of people, Fifa's Africa Director and former Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Fifa cannot boost the African economy on its own. But it could use its resources to contribute to its development and bring various players together.
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