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The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF), Fouzi Lekjaa, joined fellow leaders of African federations today in Bingerville to launch a transformative FIFA project — Côte d’Ivoire’s newly renovated National Technical Center.
The launching ceremony marked the start of $4.3 million renovation for the football center, funded by FIFA Forward.
The initiative has robust pan-African support. Lekjaa was one of more than 25 football federation presidents who attended, along with Cameroon and Nigeria presidents Samuel Eto’o and Ibrahim Musa Gusau, respectively.
Their shared presence reflects the solid support shown by African football federations for FIFA’s infrastructural development projects, building world-class facilities across the continent.
The ceremony, presided over by Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and FIFA President Yacine Idriss Diallo, marked the beginning of an ambitious project to modernize the facility that trained the Ivorian 2023 AFCON champions.
The renovated center will include new medical facilities, a modern gym, and comprehensive training facilities.
A part of the new renovations is the addition of six new buildings with state-of-the-art amenities. These include a 30-room accommodation block housing teams and another building with a food court, while others are for meetings and training.
In addition, the center will have various training areas, including a fully functional 400 square-meter gym with swimming pools for ultimate conditioning.
Ivorian Football Federation President Diallo says that the center will “truly offer full capacities for young people”, adding that it is “dedicated to the training of both girls and boys.”
Read also: Fouzi Lekjaa: Morocco Is Well Positioned to Host Key Matches in 2030 World Cup
Dialo added that the center is “an essential tool for the development of elite youth football.”
On the sidelines of the launch, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, “We are celebrating a historic moment. The laying of the first brick of the renovated national center of the Ivorian Football Federation”
“Once fully renovated, this center will not only be a national football center, it will become a real symbol of hope and opportunity, a springboard for young players, coaches, and football enthusiasts, which will fly the flag for Cote d Ivoire and the whole of Africa during international competitions,” he added.
The project, part of FIFA’s broader $5 billion global investment in football development through 2026, represents a big step in strengthening African football infrastructure.
Renovation of the center aligns with the mission of FIFA Forward, which seeks to equally distributeresources among member associations while ensuring accountability and efficiency in the management of football development projects on the continent.
