FIFA firm on social responsibility "For the World"

The world football body FIFA has launched the slogan - For the Game. For the World - to highlight football’s social responsibility. It summarises FIFA’s mission to "develop the game, touch the world and build a better future," FIFA said. On the second day of the 57th FIFA Congress in Zurich, FIFA President Joseph S Blatter said that the resources available to football will enable FIFA to make a major contribution to social development through football. "For the last 30 years we have made great efforts in the development of football, the game. Now our sport has developed fully and is played all over the world and another task awaits us: social responsibility. This is the main message which will come out of the congress. We must make sure to always respect solidarity, fair-play and realise that football can contribute to a better world. Football is not just about kicking a ball," Blatter said. "FIFA is now in a comfortable financial position and we have to use those resources. But that is not enough. Social responsibility begins with each and every one of us,” he said.

The FIFA Congress listened to reports from the working groups for political matters, competitions and financial matters of its For the Good of the Game Task Force and approved a number of principles. Created by the FIFA Congress in Marrakech in 2005, the Task Force followed up its first report to last year's congress in Munich by presenting a number of principles that have been ratified and now await implementation by the FIFA Executive Committee. The congress also approved the creation of the FIFA Strategic Committee and immediately mandated the new committee to continue the task force's discussions. Blatter described the work of the task force over the last two years as "comprehensive" and "of enormous significance to the future of football".