FIFA President Gianni Infantino has met the new Chadian Football Federation (FTFA) President, Tahir Hassan Oloy, and sounded an optimistic note for the future of the game in the African country. Mr Oloy’s recent election on 1 March this year has signalled a new start for football in Chad, with his bold 11-point manifesto outlining plans regarding the reform of competition governance, development of women’s football, coach and referee education, reform of regional leagues and the strengthening of national teams.

“I was delighted to meet Tahir Hassan Oloy, who was elected Chadian Football Federation President earlier this month, ahead of the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt,” said the FIFA President, who was joined in the meeting by FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour and Gelson Fernandes, FIFA Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director Africa. “Chadian football has great talent and there is a real love for the game in the country. Now, under the leadership of their new President, the Chadian Football Federation can dip into those resources to give football (in Chad) a chance to shine and show its potential to the world. FIFA will be with you, constantly supporting the hard work of President Oloy and the Chadian Football Federation to ensure football growth in (the country).” One of FIFA’s building blocks to help grow the game globally is the FIFA Football for Schools programme, and Chad launched the initiative in May 2023 with 59 schools participating and 17,000 mini-balls distributed to girls and boys across the country.

Another major cause for optimism is the near-completion of the four-year construction project of the Mandjafa Multi-sport Stadium in the capital N’Djamena. It will give the country’s elite teams a state-of-the-art 33,000-capacity facility in which to showcase their talents. In his discussion with the FIFA President, President Oloy extended an invitation to the stadium’s inauguration ceremony at the end of May this year, and spoke of his vision for the future of football in Chad.

“We discussed with (President Infantino) the measures to be taken in order to develop Chadian football, for which there haven’t been many changes over the last four years. He reassured us by reminding us of his and FIFA’s support to boost Chadian football,” explained President Oloy. “We need to invest in training, which is essential, in order to allow educators, referees and coaches to be competitive with their peers from other countries and develop football in our country. We have a consistent, 11-point programme on which the members of the [CAF] General Assembly rely. We are working on this programme that will allow Chadian football to progress.”