<p>FIFA said Wednesday it has invested $200 million this year in soccer-development activities involving all of its 209 member associations, including "landmark initiatives" in Somalia, Afghanistan and Palestine.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The latest beneficiary of FIFA's development projects was its newest member association, South Sudan, where courses for referees and coaches were held in Juba over the past two months.<br /><br />FIFA's development committee approved 46 new Goal projects in 2013 for a total of 640 since the creation of that initiative in 1998. Furthermore, 28 member associations joined PERFORMANCE (FIFA's soccer management programme), which has been implemented in 155 countries to date.<br /><br />FIFA also continued to diversify its development programmes in 2013 with the approval of 22 projects for less privileged member associations and two income-generation initiatives.<br /><br />Soccer's international governing body, meanwhile, described as a "further milestone" the approval in March of the General Regulations for FIFA Development Programmes by the FIFA Executive Committee, followed by a general consultation process that began in September in Auckland.<br /><br />"2013 was a special year since we started a very important process in implementing the new general regulations for development programmes," FIFA Director of Member Associations and Development Thierry Regenass said.<br /><br />In August, FIFA completed its first grassroots course in Somalia since 1986, one of 179 such initiatives carried out by the Zurich-based organisation over the past 12 months.<br /><br />A few days later, Afghanistan hosted a game against Pakistan that was played on an artificial field funded by Kabul's FIFA Goal project. The contest was Afghanistan's first international home match since 2003.<br /><br />Palestine also was a focal point of FIFA's efforts, with President Sepp Blatter inaugurating three Goal projects during a visit in July.<br /><br />Cape Verde and Cuba (countries that have benefited from a total of seven Goal projects) made news in 2013 by qualifying for the first time for the African Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, respectively.</p>
<p>FIFA said Wednesday it has invested $200 million this year in soccer-development activities involving all of its 209 member associations, including "landmark initiatives" in Somalia, Afghanistan and Palestine.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The latest beneficiary of FIFA's development projects was its newest member association, South Sudan, where courses for referees and coaches were held in Juba over the past two months.<br /><br />FIFA's development committee approved 46 new Goal projects in 2013 for a total of 640 since the creation of that initiative in 1998. Furthermore, 28 member associations joined PERFORMANCE (FIFA's soccer management programme), which has been implemented in 155 countries to date.<br /><br />FIFA also continued to diversify its development programmes in 2013 with the approval of 22 projects for less privileged member associations and two income-generation initiatives.<br /><br />Soccer's international governing body, meanwhile, described as a "further milestone" the approval in March of the General Regulations for FIFA Development Programmes by the FIFA Executive Committee, followed by a general consultation process that began in September in Auckland.<br /><br />"2013 was a special year since we started a very important process in implementing the new general regulations for development programmes," FIFA Director of Member Associations and Development Thierry Regenass said.<br /><br />In August, FIFA completed its first grassroots course in Somalia since 1986, one of 179 such initiatives carried out by the Zurich-based organisation over the past 12 months.<br /><br />A few days later, Afghanistan hosted a game against Pakistan that was played on an artificial field funded by Kabul's FIFA Goal project. The contest was Afghanistan's first international home match since 2003.<br /><br />Palestine also was a focal point of FIFA's efforts, with President Sepp Blatter inaugurating three Goal projects during a visit in July.<br /><br />Cape Verde and Cuba (countries that have benefited from a total of seven Goal projects) made news in 2013 by qualifying for the first time for the African Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, respectively.</p>