… Infantino, Montagliani hail the growth, development of football

GUYANA Football Federation (GFF) president Wayne Forde was part of the 41 members of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) at its 35th Ordinary Congress at the JW Marriott Hotel in Miami, United States.
The CONCACAF Congress took place the day after the 2021 Gold Cup Preliminary Round matches which determined the final three teams who will compete in the Gold Cup Group Stage.
The occasion marked the first-time delegates from CONCACAF’S Member Associations came together for a Congress since 2019.
CONCACAF president and FIFA vice- president, Victor Montagliani, presided over the Congress, alongside CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio and members of the CONCACAF Council.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended and addressed the Congress, and Confederation of African Football (CAF) president and FIFA vice-president Patrice Motsepe was also in attendance.
The CONCACAF Member Association delegates approved the Confederation’s 2019 and 2020 audited financial statements.
President Montagliani commended all Member Associations for navigating the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined the many ways CONCACAF and FIFA supported Members and their communities during the global health crisis.
In his opening address, Montagliani praised the ongoing growth of football in CONCACAF, adding that “as we come together for this Congress, in CONCACAF’s 60th anniversary year, I feel extremely positive, and reflective, about what we have achieved together.”

“Our football has been transformed with new competitions like the CONCACAF Nations League, which vastly increases competitive opportunities for all Member Associations. And we have just started a Gold Cup which includes 24 Concacaf men’s national teams – more than in any previous edition of our flagship tournament,” said Montagliani.
According to the CONCACAF boss their “development programmes are creating football opportunities for young people across the region, and we have built an entirely new women’s national team ecosystem which will begin in November this year. Put simply, in CONCACAF we are putting football first”.