If Gianni Infantino is trying to prove that FIFA has turned a new leaf and things have changed at their HQ in Zurich, their announcement of Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura as General Secretary (Infantino’s #2) is certainly one way to announce that.

Samoura, a Senegalese woman, comes over from the UN and is the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria. She has no prior experience in world football governance, which for many is likely a good sign.

Infanito praised Samoura’s qualifications when announcing the appointment.

“Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time,” President Infantino said. “She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform. Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.”

Before being confirmed as Secretary General, Samoura does have to go through FIFA’s integrity checks, rubber stamps that they may be, but this appointment goes a long way in showing FIFA will be different under Gianni Infantino, which at times didn’t appear to be the case.

“It is essential for FIFA to incorporate fresh perspectives – from outside the traditional pool of football executives – as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation,” President Infantino said. “No one exemplifies what we need more than Fatma does, and we are thrilled that she has joined our team.”

Samoura’s responsibilities at the UN currently include budgeting, human resources, and coordinating the jobs for about 2,000 people beneath her. As FIFA General Secretary, she’ll probably have largely the same duties, but will also provide a much needed fresh perspective on FIFA’s governance.

“Today is a wonderful day for me, and I am honoured to take on the role of FIFA’s Secretary General,” Ms Samoura said. “I believe this role is a perfect fit for my skills and experience – strategic, high impact team building in international settings – which I will use to help grow the game of football all over the world.

“I also look forward to bringing my experience in governance and compliance to bear on the important reform work that is already underway at FIFA. FIFA is taking a fresh approach to its work – and I am eager to play a role in making that approach as effective and lasting as possible.”

Times are changing at FIFA, and that can only be a good thing.

[FIFA.com]

About Matt Lichtenstadter

Recent Maryland graduate. I've written for many sites including World Soccer Talk, GianlucaDiMarzio.com, Testudo Times, Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog and more. Houndstooth is still cool, at least to me. Follow me @MattsMusings1 on Twitter, e-mail me about life and potential jobs at matthewaaron9 at Yahoo dot com.

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