Djibouti football witnessed a major milestone with the opening of the FIFA Talent Academy on Thursday in the capital Djibouti City.
The FIFA Talent Academy, part of the world’s football governing body’s Talent Development Scheme (TDS) was launched under the leadership of FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger seeks to give every talented young player a genuine opportunity to progress, while strengthening the global competitiveness of both men’s and women’s football.
Djibouti thus becomes the second African country after Mauritania and 40 others globally – to benefit from this strategic programme, which aligns with FIFA’s vision: raising the level of national teams and reducing regional disparities.
“More than 40 FIFA Talent Academies are now in place worldwide, with many more under development. The modern facilities of this academy make it a unique centre of excellence in East Africa,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The Djiboutian Football Federation (FDF) has already implemented a series of
programmes in collaboration with FIFA: from talent identification (in 2024) and the selection of 20 boys and 20 girls across six regions, to the creation of regional centres training over 300 young players, and strengthening technical staff, with 15 coaches mentored by a FIFA Talent Coach. The FIFA Talent Academy in Djibouti is therefore a significant step on African soil and a recognition of the remarkable efforts and progress of the FDF, which has scrupulously met the established criteria.
The facility christened “Douda Football Academy of Excellence” can host nearly 50 youngsters in a professional setting, enabling the development of elite players through a high-level training environment. By integrating schooling into its programme, the academy promotes a sustainable ecosystem that supports the personal and social development of young athletes.
“The ultimate goal is to provide young players with top-level guidance, combining
training, education and development, so they can reach their full potential and
contribute to the growth of football in their country,” explained Wenger, adding the FIFA objective is to establish 75 Talent Academies worldwide by 2027.
The ceremony was graced by Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh; Djibouti Prime Minister, Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed; FIFA Director of Global Football Development Steven Martens; FIFA Deputy Director of the Member Associations Division and Regional Director for Africa, Gelson Fernandes, Djibouti FA President Souleiman Hassan Waberi amongst others.
… becomes fifth African beneficiary of FIFA Arena project
Meanwhile, Djibouti has become the latest African Member Association to benefit from the FIFA Arena Project. The ultra-modern pitch at the Palmeraie School in the country’s capital ensures Djibouti joins Morocco, Niger, Liberia and Algeria, who inaugurated the projects recently.
The FIFA Arena project is part of a global initiative to build mini-pitches worldwide, in line with the commitment made by the FIFA President Infantino at the Sustainable Sport Summit in Paris in July 2024.
The project supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by offering more play opportunities to children, especially in disadvantaged urban and rural areas.
For Gelson Fernandes, Deputy Director of the Member Associations Division and
Regional Director for Africa, the opening of the Talent Academy and the inauguration of the mini-pitch represent “a historic step for Djiboutian and African football. This will provide a prestigious setting to create new opportunities for Djiboutian boys and girls to thrive through football and, perhaps, play at the highest level. These projects are the result of in-depth work carried out by the FDF with FIFA’s full support, and we are very proud of that.”
FIFA’s objective is to install at least 1,000 new mini-pitches worldwide by 2031.
