First female secretary general of FIFA Council

A historic move announced at a congress that sought to relegate world football's corruption crisis to the past.

The FIFA Council today appointed Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura of Senegal as FIFA Secretary General (SG). Ms Samoura is a 21-year veteran of United Nations programmes who is currently the UN’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria. The announcement was made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City.

The former secretary general, Jerome Valcke of France, was sacked in January and banned from football for 12 years over misconduct in television deals and World Cup ticket sales --one of the many scandals that hit FIFA.

Germany's Markus Kattner had been serving as interim secretary general since then.

FIFA officials gathered in the Mexican capital to formally implement changes that were adopted at an extraordinary congress in February to overcome a deep corruption crisis.

President Infantino praised Ms Samoura’s integrity, and said the Council was particularly impressed with her operational experience, as well as her expertise in governance and working in multi-cultural environments. He said her expertise will complement the long-standing and deep knowledge of world football within the FIFA leadership team and administration.

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura

Currently, Samoura is serving as United Nation’s Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria.

She has rich experience of 21 years with United Nations.

She had started her UN career in 1995 as senior logistics officer with the World Food Programme in Rome, Italy.

Since then she has served as UN country representative or director in six countries, namely Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Madagascar and Nigeria.

Before joining UN, Samoura had worked in the private sector eight years. She had worked in the fertiliser trading sector for Senchim, a subsidiary of Industries Chimiques du Senegal.

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