Football has power to unite: Blatter

July 6, 2011

The Zimbabwean

6 July 2011

Africa has more football talent than the Brazilians. All that is left is for it to be developed and it needs a lot of patience, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said during his historic one day visit to Zimbabwe last week.

Blatter, who met with both President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, on different occasions, was impressed with the way the world’s famous game is uniting people of different political, religious and social backgrounds across the globe.

“I’m happy that you have managed to organize this tournament and the response from the people here is just amazing. It shows how people of different backgrounds can be united by football just as was the case in South Africa during the World Cup. I met with the two political leaders and it they both spoke of football as such an amazing game,” said Blatter.

“We (FIFA) do not intend to impose European football in Africa, but we want to help you develop the game in the best way you understand it. I was pretty impressed by the way the girls displayed their ability to attack during play. They have great skills and we hope to see women teams from Africa making it all the way to the finals of the World Cup.”

Speaking on Zimbabwe’s issue of the Asiagate scandal, Blatter assured that once found guilty of participating in match-fixing players or any administrators involved will face “a life suspension from football.”

While Zimbabwe Football Association president Cuthbert Dube believes Blatter’s visit will open doors of trust for the corporate world to come on board in the development of football in Zimbabwe, the Minister of Education, Sports, Art and culture, David Coltart, took the visit as a blessing to the nation’s image.

“This visit goes way beyond football; Zimbabwe had become a negative brand in the world and since the formation of the unity government we have been trying to correct that. This visit is an endorsement we seek. We hope to see the Football for Hope Project coming in to extend education in Zimbabwe and my hope is that this visit can bring some hope in that regard,” said Coltart.