Fifa’s commitment to global development earns high praise from SAFA president Danny Jordaan

South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan has praised FIFA’s recent initiatives to promote football development globally, emphasising that significant progress has closed the historical gap between European and other footballing nations.

Central to Jordaan’s commendation is Fifa’s new initiative to host annual Under-17 World Cups for both men and women. He believes this strategic move represents a significant leap towards creating equal opportunities for young football talent worldwide, allowing emerging nations to shine on the world stage.

The ongoing U17 tournament in Qatar — the first to feature 48 teams — has been an impressive showcase of Africa’s burgeoning presence in youth football.

Remarkably, nine of the 10 African nations that qualified have advanced to the knockout rounds, a clear signal of the continent’s growing prowess. Among them is South Africa, who are set to face Japan in the round of 32 on Saturday.

According to Jordaan, the vision spearheaded by Fifa’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, is beginning to yield tangible results as nations outside of Europe demonstrate their capacity to compete at the highest echelons of the sport.

“And I think that’s what Fifa wants to achieve, that is what Arsène Wenger’s vision aims to achieve, that this thing of the dominance of Europe must come to an end,” he remarked. “But it cannot come to an end if you don’t fix it from the schools right up.”

Jordaan is particularly proud of South Africa’s young football talent, noting their recent success: “We have an excellent schools’ team; our schools’ team are also COSAFA Champions.

“Our Under-17 team is clearly one of the best in our region and on the continent, and now they are competing to establish their position in the world of football.”

He credits Fifa, and CAF President Patrice Motsepe for their dedication to school and youth football, stating that the goal is to cultivate an African champion at the World Cup level, with Morocco coming tantalisingly close.

He remains optimistic about the future, highlighting the importance of sustained player development.

“If we continue by developing players, we will sustain the growth path of the players, and very soon we’ll have a different national team and quality Bafana Bafana players who played in different age-group categories.”