New agreement with the Egyptian Federation

FFF President Philippe Diallo and Hany Abo Rida, his counterpart from the Egyptian Federation, signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday April 7th in Cairo (photo).

While in Egypt as part of the official visit of President Emmanuel Macron, FFF President Philipe Diallo and Hany Abo Rida, President of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), signed a memorandum of understanding (main photo) on Monday April 7th in Cairo. Its objective is to "build momentum in the existing cooperation between the EFA and the FFF and to reaffirm their shared commitment to working together whenever possible in areas related to football development, sports education, training, and potential joint projects."

In June 2024 the two federations launched a one-year cooperation project on women's football, initiated and funded by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Entitled "Contributing to the Development and Professionalisation of Women's Football in Egypt," this initiative directly supports Egyptian women's football teams, coaches and staff through intensive training sessions organised both in Egypt and in France, the latter of which being staged at CNF Clairefontaine, with a focus on U17 and U20 players, coaches, and staff. The project also includes an institutional dimension, with the exchange of best practices between the federations.

(Photo: Egyptian Football Association)

On this basis, the protocol stipulates that the FFF and the EFA "are willing to collaborate and discuss future joint cooperation projects" which could "include the following priorities":

• facilitating access to sports infrastructure or equipment
• strengthening governance in sport
• developing high-performance sport
• supporting policies for inclusion, anti-discrimination, and reintegration through sport
• training referees and promoting good refereeing practices

Arriving in Cairo on the evening of Sunday April 6th, the FFF president met the following morning with Hany Abo Rida before touring the EFA's facilities and meeting with players involved in the cooperation project. Philippe Diallo then visited the "Right to Dream" Football Academy, where he was welcomed by its CEO Mohamed Wasfy. After a working lunch, a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo preceded the signing of the memorandum of understanding in the early evening.

(Photo X / Egyptian Football Federation)