After travelling to South America in May and then to Europe in late July, FIFA’s Head of Technical Leadership Jamie Houchen and his team paid a visit to Africa earlier this week. The delegation headed to Accra in Ghana, where the Technical Directors of 21 member associations in Africa awaited them. On the agenda: a seminar on the development of technical leadership. “The Technical Leadership team are delighted to offer this initial course, which has a real focus on leadership skills, for experienced Technical Directors working in CAF,” explained Houchen. “With the collective responsibility for communities representing 528 million people, it’s clear that, if we can help Technical Directors to become more effective leaders and then hand them the tools to do so, the potential impact is considerable, because we are improving the football environment within each member association.”

This workshop encouraged participants to reflect on their role and its related obstacles. It focused on four key areas: a brainstorming session on the challenges involved in the role of Technical Director, an analysis of the leadership skills required to perform the role, an in-depth look at the practical skills and strategies adopted in order to excel in the position, and finally, a review of FIFA’s support of current and future Technical Directors. “Through the profiling work, group work and case studies during the workshop, I succeeded in pinpointing my strengths and weaknesses, and sharing my expertise and experience,” said Niger FA Technical Director Sagayere Alhousseini. “I was able to improve my persuasive skills, pick out influencers within a group, and improve my communication style and ability to analyse a number of situations, no matter how complex. I learned that I don’t have to be afraid of challenges, wherever they emerge from. This seminar has turned me into a different technical director – a confident one.”

The course constituted a veritable discussion platform for the Technical Directors in attendance, enabling them to share their distinct experiences, learn about the challenges faced by each member association, and strengthen cooperation efforts between stakeholders. “Every activity on this course is a learning experience, with the reality of the environment that we work in, interacting and exchanging ideas with our counterparts,” said Uganda FA Technical Director Ali Mwebwe. “Personally, I will take away the importance of adapting to different leadership styles to be able to lead and work with various teams of knowledgeable Technical Leaders back in Uganda, to ensure football’s continued development.”

Point 7 of FIFA’s The Vision 2020-2023 stipulates that FIFA’s goal is to maximise its impact on global football development via the statutory objective of improving the game constantly and promoting it globally. This involves enhancing the football development landscape so that it has a positive impact around the globe, across all disciplines.