Infantino: FIFA will strengthen cooperation with EFC and will continue to promote the development of women s football in the future

On October 10, FIFA President Infantino attended the 32nd European Football Club (EFC) Conference and delivered a speech. He highlighted the close cooperation between FIFA and the organization and said both parties were "ready" to work together to address the challenges facing global football.

What do you think of the partnership between FIFA and EFC?

We have a memorandum of understanding, but more importantly, we have an incredibly deep connection that unites us. We understand that we need to work together for the benefit of players, clubs, leagues, associations, confederations and ultimately FIFA and world football.

We face many challenges, but I would say that all of these challenges also bring many opportunities. For me, the biggest opportunity is for us all to come together and move forward together to make the game even stronger.

If we criticize football, we are not hurting FIFA, UEFA, a certain league or association, but the entire football movement. When we unite and work together, our movement becomes stronger. We will start from Rome, the capital of the world, to develop football in Europe and promote it to the world.

What is the status of cooperation in the 2025 Club World Cup?

This is an extraordinary cooperation for the benefit of football, and of course for the benefit of global football. Believe me, dear Nasser, this is not a given. I understand that of course you have to defend European football and European clubs, you are European football clubs. But you also understand that in the world of football, it’s not just European clubs. That's why our collaboration is so important.

People all over the world are paying attention to European clubs and what Europe is doing in the field of football. So, you, we, are an example to the whole world. That’s why we decided to create a new version of the Club World Cup: to give new impetus to club football around the world; to bring European clubs together with those from the rest of the world; to create a tournament that can bring fans and players from around the world together and unite them in a new spirit that should benefit everyone.

What plans does FIFA have to promote the development of women’s football?

We have just launched the new FIFA Women’s Champions League at a global level, with the final taking place in London.

We must promote the development of women's football through club competitions and national team competitions. We should not simply copy the model of men's football and think that it will also apply to women's football. We have to come up with new concepts, and many of you here have great insights in this area.