Bermuda Football Association President Mark Wade and General Secretary David Sabir attended the CONCACAF XXXII Ordinary Congress in Oranjestad, Aruba, where elections were conducted for CONCACAF and FIFA Councils positions.
The Confederation’s membership also received updates from the implementation of the ONE CONCACAF Vision as well as a report of the progress achieved in each of the Confederation’s divisions, including a review of the organization’s strategic roadmap and the 2017 financial budget, which was approved.
Rodolfo Villalobos of Costa Rica and Decio De Maria of Mexico were elected to the CONCACAF Council as Vice Presidents. Carlos Cordeiro of the United States, Jorge Rajo of El Salvador and Maurice Victoire of Martinique were elected to the CONCACAF Council as Members. Additionally, the Confederation’s FIFA Members reelected Sunil Gulati of the United States to the FIFA Council.
“Our ONE CONCACAF Vision continues its journey to drive football growth. Across the Confederation, we are building greater accountability, transparency and governance,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. “2016 was a year of transition, we made solid progress on many fronts, including beginning the implementation of our vision and strengthening the partnership with each Member Association to transform our game, while broadening the opportunities for our youth, players, coaches, referees, and administrators.”
While opening the Congress, President Montagliani emphasized the need to bring the World Cup back to CONCACAF in 2026, for which the Congress displayed rousing, unanimous support. To that end, three CONCACAF member nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States -- have scheduled a “historic announcement” for Monday, April 10th in New York City, featuring CONCACAF and Canadian Soccer Association President Montagliani, Mexican Football Federation and CONCACAF Vice President Decio de Maria and U.S. Soccer Federation and FIFA Council Member Sunil Gulati.
He also announced the creation of a Players Ambassador Program aimed at advising and supporting CONCACAF in its mission to develop football. Initial members of the group include former footballers Ricardo Gardner (Jamaica) Karina LeBlanc (Canada), and Jason Roberts (Grenada).
A roundtable took place after the Congress to explore possibilities to leverage their experiences to improve and increase participation in the game.
Members received a review of the advances in the areas of football operations, commercial, finance and administration, as well as legal and compliance. The administration presented a strategic roadmap for the organization within the framework of the ONE CONCACAF Vision in order to achieve the Confederation’s mission to develop the game.
Associations received a comprehensive budget report as a result of the governance and transparency measures implemented in the 2016-2017 period. With a strictest discipline, the organization continues establishing controls and processes to ensure integrity and comply with ethical business standards.
The annual meeting was attended by Prime Minister of Aruba, The Right Honorable Michiel Godfried Eman and Minister of Public Health, Elderly Care and Sports in Aruba, The Honorable Dr. Carlos Alex Schwengle, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, CONMEBOL President, Alejandro Dominguez and David Borja AFC Advisor to the President.
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