Arsene Wenger launches FIFA Talent Development Project in Egypt

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, now FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, launched a FIFA-backed talent development initiative in Cairo on Friday. The project aims to enhance youth training, coaching standards, and overall football infrastructure in Egypt.

During his visit to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) headquarters, Wenger expressed optimism about the country’s footballing potential.

“We want to develop football at the top level, to the top level, everywhere, and here is one of these places in the world, where you have passion, many young people in the country, and huge technical qualities, and that’s why I believe we can do a great job together,” he said.

عهد جديد.. ممتنون في “فيفا” للتعاون مع اتحاد الكرة المصري لتطوير المواهب 🇪🇬

رسالة خاصة من أرسين فينجر بعد إطلاق مشروع المواهب في مصر 📹 pic.twitter.com/hCpdjRueFe

— EFA.eg (@EFA) February 7, 2025

Egypt, a dominant force in African football with a record seven Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles, continues to face challenges in youth development and international competitiveness. The FIFA initiative seeks to address these gaps by strengthening coaching education and improving player pathways.

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“To develop a great footballer, you need a great coach. That’s why we are here—to improve the quality of coaching. Egypt has excellent coaches, but we aim to further their development because coaching is a fundamental part of success,” Wenger explained.

يوم مميز لـ أرسين فينجر في القاهرة لاطلاق مشروع تطوير المواهب في مصر 🎥🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/x0Dfvtv5aN

— EFA.eg (@EFA) February 7, 2025

The visit follows a FIFA workshop for EFA academy staff on talent identification and training methodologies. Wenger, accompanied by FIFA’s Director of Global Football Development Steven Martens, emphasized the importance of global club development, linking it to FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup.

“At the moment the strongest clubs are in Europe and everyone knows that. We want strong football clubs everywhere in the world because that’s part of our programme, to make football big everywhere, and the Club World Cup can contribute to making clubs stronger,” he said.

The EFA welcomed the initiative as a key step in its strategy to strengthen ties with FIFA and elevate Egyptian football to new heights.

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