Fifa Secretary General Fatma Samura visited Vladimir. Fatma Samura: “I put on the scarf presented by Minnikhanov quite often Fifa General Secretary Fatma Samura

Senegalese Fatma Samura visited the oldest mosque of Kazan "Marjani" today - General Secretary International Football Federation (FIFA). The head of the African Football Confederation Ahmad Al Ahmad accompanied the guest.

A tour of the mosque for the FIFA delegation was conducted by the deputy mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan, imam-hatib of the Mansur mosque hazrat Jalyaletdinov. He spoke about rich history religious building and about the current spiritual and educational projects within the walls of the mosque.

Samura also visited the Muslim children's center at the mosque "Mardzhani" "Balalar" in the Old Tatar settlement and the fitness center for women "Mardzhaniya". She left branded soccer balls with FIFA symbols as a gift to the children's center.

“Yesterday my family, husband, daughter were here, they really liked the Marjani mosque. They liked visiting the mosque even more than the match between Portugal and Chile," she explained during the visit.

After the tour, communication continued over a cup of tea, where the parties discussed the history of Islam among the Tatars, the traditions of Tatar tea drinking and the last match between the national teams of Portugal and Chile.

Hazrat Mansur thanked the representative delegation for the visit and presented Fatma Samura with small gifts - a silver bracelet and earrings, as well as a Tatar kalfak and a scarf. Samura, in turn, left a football with her autograph as a keepsake.

After the end of the official part of the meeting, Fatme Samura, together with the parishioners of the Marjani mosque, performed a midday prayer. It is noteworthy that this is already her second visit to the Marjani mosque.

For the first time in history, the post of Secretary General of the International Football Federation (FIFA) was taken by a woman - Fatma Samura from Senegal, who previously worked in various positions at the UN. This decision was made at the ongoing FIFA Congress in Mexico.

At the FIFA Congress, held in Mexico City, a historic decision was made, one might say. For the first time, it was decided to entrust the second most important post in the head football structure of the planet to a woman - the representative of Senegal, Fatma Samoura. It is noteworthy that Mrs. Samura had nothing to do with football before. Over the past 20 years, she has worked in various UN structures, and at this moment is one of the leaders of the United Nations Development Program in Nigeria.

It should be noted that FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who initiated the appointment of Mrs. Samura, said he did not see a problem in the fact that the new Secretary General has no experience in football. “Her appearance will be a breath of fresh air for FIFA,” said the FIFA President. “Our organization needed someone from the outside, someone who symbolizes the future, not the past.”

Recall that the predecessor of Mrs. Samura as FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke was suspended from work in the middle of last year, after it became known that he was involved in fraud in the sale of rights to television broadcasts of the world championships (they were transferred to authorized persons for symbolic sums and immediately resold for a real price), as well as to the implementation of dubious schemes in the sale of tickets for world championship games.

At the end of last year, Mr. Walcke was fired from his post and later suspended for 12 years. We add that his immediate boss - Sepp Blatter - was also forced to leave FIFA. former president FIFA suspended for four years.

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FIFA Secretary General at Iftar in St. Petersburg told BUSINESS Online about his love for Kazan and why no one will take away the 2018 World Cup from Russia

Kazan Tatars organized a Muslim breaking fast for the first lady of football, Fatma Samour. The event for her and other FIFA top managers was held on June 24 in St. Petersburg by a delegation of the RF APM from Kazan. About why Mutko strongly advised the FIFA Secretary General to go to Tatarstan, how she assesses the Kazan Arena and what admiration the scarf presented by the President of Tatarstan aroused in Zurich - in the exclusive report "BUSINESS Online".

Fatma Samoura: “When I went to Russia, I could not imagine that I would spend the last evening of this holy month in such a wonderful company”

“WHEN I WENT TO RUSSIA, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE END OF RAMADAN WILL COME ON MY STAY IN MOSCOW OR PETERSBURG”

Iftar for guidance international association football FIFA (FIFA) held last Saturday in St. Petersburg, Muslim entrepreneurs from Tatarstan. If this news had appeared on the tapes of news agencies a little more than a year ago, it would certainly have been considered fiction and an outright fake. However, after personnel changes took place in the leadership of the football association in May last year, the fairy tale became a reality. A native of Senegal Fatma Samura(Fatma Samoura) was appointed FIFA Secretary General in the spring of 2016, succeeding the German Marcus Kuttner in this chair, which, in turn, was inherited by the French Jerome Valcke Thus, for the first time in history, the commercial and technological affairs of world football began to be managed by a woman who, moreover, was African and Muslim by origin. About a month after her appointment, Mrs. Samura came to Moscow to assess the level of preparation of our country for the 2018 World Cup, and in November she paid a visit to Kazan, where she visited a mosque and even appeared in public in the national Tatar. Now it turned out that the friendly relations established then were not in vain: at least Samura chose to meet the end of the holy month of Ramadan together with the delegation of the Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs (APM) of the Russian Federation, whose headquarters, as you know, are located simultaneously in Kazan and Moscow

“Of course, when I went to Russia, I understood that the end of Ramadan would be during my stay in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but I could not imagine that I would spend the last evening of this holy month in such a wonderful company and in such a warm society,” admitted FIFA Secretary General in a conversation with a correspondent of "BUSINESS Online". “It is a great honor for me and my friends from different parts of the world. I hope that Allah will accept both our fasting and our prayers.”

The society, which gathered late in the evening on June 24 in the St. Petersburg restaurant of Uzbek cuisine "Navruz", located on Leninsky Prospekt, was quite intimate. In addition to Ms. Samura herself, the president of the Djibouti Football Federation arrived here from the FIFA administration Suleiman Waberi, head of the press service of FIFA Fabrice Jouhad, head of the executive committee of the association Urs Kluser, executive committee coordinator Catarina Ferreira, Head of the UN World Food Program in RE (The UN World Food Program) Abdu Dieng and President of the Confederation of African Football ahmad al ahmad. However, at least one guest, namely Mr. Amadou Samura(Amadou Samoura), had no official status and was listed as simply husband in the list of invitees, that is, the husband of the FIFA Secretary General.

The cortege with guests arrived on Leninsky Prospekt at about 22:00, the police cordoned off the entrance to the restaurant for a couple of minutes, and the idle onlookers who were walking around the sleeping area at that hour were surprised to see how black Senegalese, slightly watered down by European football officials. It seems that it never occurred to anyone that this is the top of FIFA today (unless, of course, we forget for a moment about the Swiss and the president of the association Gianni Infantino).

The restaurant also lived a normal life: there was a ringing of dishes, harmoniously woven into the overflows of occasionally sounding oriental music, they argued and laughed about something, but these sounds did not penetrate to the second floor, where the room for the “football” iftar was booked. A large table had already been laid here, and the waiters were just finishing serving it when word spread that the FIFA delegation had arrived. Representatives of the Muslim Business Association, namely its President Aidar Shagimardanov, Executive Director Marcel Sabirov and APM representative in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region Abdulbari Alimov rushed down. Among those meeting there were also the permanent representative of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Northern capital Renat Valiullin and the owner of the restaurant "Navruz" Mikhail Ayupov. Correspondent "BUSINESS Online" together with everyone came out to meet the top managers of world football.

Some football officials had rough, worn palms, which was especially felt when shaking hands. At the same time, there was no touch of stardom - on the contrary, an “evening”, slightly relaxed mood prevailed, multiplied by the proximity of Eid al-Fitr holiday and the long St. Petersburg sunset, smoldering behind tattered clouds and gray high-rise buildings. The table beckoned with an abundance of dishes, but it was still impossible to touch them: prayers had not yet been read and official greetings had been said. Therefore, while the waiters silently glided around the hall, the vigilant employees of the FSO also silently monitored security, everyone exchanged business cards and smiles, and oriental ornament, whimsical snake gliding along the ceiling, sang his silent song about distant exotic countries and ancient Tashkent.

“THE QUESTION OF THE VENUE OF THE 2018 World Cup IS NOT DISCUSSED. WE CAN'T TAKE ANYTHING FROM RUSSIA"

Before becoming the first lady of football (or, as the wits would joke, the main “fifa” of FIFA), Ms. Samura worked for many years in UN structures, in particular, as the Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Nigeria. Her unexpected appointment to FIFA was only initially perceived by some as a career zigzag. The new general secretary, due to her bright and somewhat unusual charisma for the football world, quickly gained popularity, and at the same time proved to be the curator of several innovative areas, among which women's football (women's football) was the most suitable for her gambling temperament and pretty face. Now women's football has already grown to its own section on the association's website and to international games, which should be held in France in 2019.

Ms. Samura's relations with Russia developed somehow immediately, especially after her first visits to our country. Maybe the old friendship between Moscow and the African continent since the Soviet times, or maybe the personal impressions made by the FIFA Secretary General from her trips to the Russian Federation, were so positive that it could not be otherwise. At least when In the West, after the doping scandals and the unfolding "witch hunt", grumpy voices began to be heard, offering to completely deprive Russia of the right to host the World Cup in 2018, Samura took our side.

“For me, the question of the venue for the 2018 World Cup is an issue that is not discussed,” the FIFA Secretary General assured the journalist of our publication. We can't take anything from Russia. And we don't want to mix politics into sport. From what we saw in Russia as part of the ongoing Confederations Cup, we are confident that the championship will be held in Russia on the highest level».

RT representative Valiullin asked in this context how Ms. Samura finds the state of the Zenit Arena, the infamous long-term construction of St. Petersburg, where the Confederations Cup has recently started.

“The stadium is really the biggest - it is new, thoughtful and probably the best in terms of infrastructure,” the first lady of football nodded favorably. — Yes, there were shortcomings, but now, for example, the New Zealand team, having played at this stadium, was very impressed. But Kazan Arena is also very nice!” - at this point in her speech, Ms. Samura raised her thumb with a smile, assessing the level of the Tatarstan sports facility.

“In previous years, we usually held iftar at the Kazan Arena,” Shagimardanov noted. - We gathered from 10 to 15 thousand people. So we don't just give this wonderful stadium into the hands of FIFA. This is a haunted place. We can say with full confidence that tens of thousands of Muslims prayed in this arena every year.”

At iftar, Samura periodically wore a very picturesque headscarf, presented to her by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov during her November trip to the republic

"I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE BROTHERHOOD THAT EXISTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS IN TATARSTAN"

Kazan holds a special place in the heart of the FIFA Secretary General. Suffice it to mention that at iftar Samura periodically dressed in a very picturesque headscarf, presented to her, as it turned out, by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov during her November trip to the republic.

“I put on the handkerchief given by Minnikhanov quite often,” she admitted. - If you follow my Twitter, you will notice that every visit to Kazan is accompanied by wearing this headscarf. In Zurich in his office ( the headquarters of the association is located here— approx. ed.) I have already worn it twice, and everyone really liked it, everyone noted that it was very beautiful scarf. And, of course, all FIFA members were very impressed when they came to Kazan and saw me in this attire. I had a skirt, a cape and this handkerchief.

About Kazan, about the uniqueness of its culture and inhabitants, Ms. Samura was first told by the ex-Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko(now he heads the organizing committee of the 2018 FIFA World Cup). “When I was in Moscow for the first time, and this happened in the summer of 2016, the president of the Russian Football Union, Vitaly Mutko, told me that he wanted to take me to Kazan,” the FIFA Secretary General shared her memories. “Not only for the sake of sports facilities, but also for me to see with my own eyes tolerance and peaceful coexistence of different religions. And everything he told me about - everything turned out to be true. I was impressed by the brotherhood that exists between different peoples and religions in Tatarstan. Nearby may be a mosque, Orthodox Church and the synagogue, and that's probably what we all need to pray for. I will always remember this and will give an example at home.”

By the way, the next visit of the first lady of football to Kazan will take place the day after tomorrow, June 28. But, apparently, it will be extremely short-term and is unlikely to take more than one day.

The brotherhood of peoples and religions, as well as the Muslim shrines of Kazan, not without reason so struck a native of Sunni Senegal, who has now become one of the main football top managers. “Both my husband and I come from large religious families,” Ms. Samura told BUSINESS Online. - These are several generations of Muslims, both from the side of the father and the mother. For example, my grandmother is from the city of Tuba ( the second largest metropolis of Senegal, founded in 1887 by the founder of the Sufi order of Muridia SheikhAmadou Bamba —approx. ed.). This is a very religious city, today at our meeting a lot was said about it.”

As for Islam, Samura highly appreciates its role in his life. “It’s empowering to know that there is a higher power that gives you the ability to keep fighting, to stand up for your core values,” she explained. “It also gives strength that you share your wealth with others and can lend a helping hand to people who are not as rich as you. In addition, Islam makes it easier for me to relate to many problems and not take them so close to my heart, because I pass them through the top, through the sky - through religion. Because if you know that the Lord is with you, you know that everything is possible.”

“PRIOR TO THE GAME, MANY MUSLIM COACHES ENTER THE MOSQUE AND ASK FOR PRAYERS FOR THEIR TEAM TO WIN”

It is absolutely no coincidence that it was the Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs of the Russian Federation, which grew out of Kazan, that organized iftar for top managers of FIFA. “APM RF is a multi-vector organization that, in addition to developing the business of our members, pays great attention to charitable activities and cooperation with public organizations Russia and the world,” Shagimardanov told BUSINESS Online. — The tradition of holding charitable iftars is widespread among all Muslim peoples of the world. I am very glad that the leadership of Russia and the RFU supported our initiative to hold an iftar for members of the leadership - FIFA Muslims.

However, the table conversation in the Navruz restaurant was not only secular, but also businesslike. For example, the APM delegation managed to present its new development to the FIFA leadership - the discount-bonus system Muslim Ocean. According to Shagimardanov, this program should make life easier for Muslim fans who will participate in all events held under the auspices of the football association.

Ways for such a possible cooperation were outlined in the conversation by Samura herself. According to her, those Muslims who came to Russia for the current Confederations Cup often found prayer rugs in their hotel rooms. “Even the direction of Mecca was indicated,” said the football secretary general. In 2018, Russia, as you know, is waiting for an even greater influx of guests, including from Islamic countries. That is why the Muslim Ocean program, designed to become a navigator in the search for Russian halal hotels and halal food, can become extremely popular.

“Now even among the coaches, many are Muslims,” said the companions of the FIFA Secretary General. “Before the game, they usually go to the mosque, give alms and ask for prayers so that their team wins.”

As for the gifts, among them I remember the branded footballs of the Confederations Cup and the Tatar skullcap, handed over to Samura by the APM delegation

By the way, in Russia, teams from Islamic countries enjoy support at the Cup, and not only among the 20 million Muslims who, according to statistics, live in our country. “Recently, I rode in the St. Petersburg metro to the match between Cameroon and Australia,” Valiullin told an amusing story. - It seems that the entire subway car was filled with fans of Cameroon. And when a Russian fan came in and saw who was heading to the match, he announced so loudly: “Russia is for Cameroon!” The most interesting thing is that he was right: at the stadium, most of the Russian fans were rooting for the Cameroonian team.”

Samura clearly liked the story about Cameroon: it was not for nothing that back in the spring of this year she assured a CNN correspondent that in Russia the fight against racism is taken very seriously, and at the household level this phenomenon is not at all as widespread as it is commonly thought in the West. Rather, internationalism, which has not weathered from the former USSR, prevails to the end, in the context of which the love of Soviet citizens for “brotherly” Africa was not at all interesting. last place.

Towards the end of the iftar, gifts were handed out and courtesies were exchanged, which, in the established cordial atmosphere, did not look at all on duty. “I want to express my deep gratitude to the APM of the Russian Federation and personally to its president, Aidar Shagimardanov, for inviting me here to break the fast together and complete the post,” the FIFA Secretary General said. “And, of course, many thanks for the opportunity to convey my congratulations to the entire Muslim community in Russia.”

As for the gifts, among them I remember branded soccer balls of the Confederations Cup and a Tatar skullcap, handed over to Samura by the APM delegation. She immediately put on the skullcap. Under the farewell magnesium camera flashes, the FIFA Secretary General was offered the next time to post a personal photo in a Tatar headdress on Twitter. The first lady of football graciously promised to do so.

There are only 8 days left before the start of the World Cup, and thousands of fans from all over the world are about to start arriving in our country. Of course, many of them will want to visit the ancient cities of the Vladimir region, especially since our regional center has received the right to call itself the "Cultural Capital of the World Cup."

Today, our city was visited by the second person in world football - the FIFA Secretary General, a native of Senegal, Fatma Samura. A tour of Vladimir for the distinguished guest was conducted by Governor Svetlana Orlova. It was no coincidence that the Patriarchal Garden was chosen for a walk: where else does such a delightful view of the ancient Kremlin and Cathedrals open up? Note that the head of our region and the FIFA Secretary General quickly became friends and almost immediately switched to you.

On one of the observation platforms, Fatma Samura was breathtaking from the beauty of the panorama of ancient Vladimir that opened to her, and for a long, long time she looked dreamily into the distance.

The football guest was welcomed by creative teams of the Vladimir region on the paths of the Patriarchal Garden. A particularly spectacular spectacle unfolded at the entrance to the brand new conference hall, built last year. The majorettes marched, the brass band shook the air with a football march, and young acrobats, thrown up by the Vladimir strongmen, took off into the air every now and then.

In the lobby of the conference hall, Samura was met by the rector of the main university of the 33rd region - VlGU - Anzor Saralidze. In a playful manner, he introduced the FIFA Secretary General to ... the owners of the African Cup. Fatma raised her eyebrows in surprise and only with the help of an interpreter realized that Anzor Mikhailovich was joking. It's just that VlSU holds its own "Africa Cup" every year - among foreign students.

Immediately, the FIFA Secretary General met her namesake, a 3rd year student of the VlSU, Fatma from Senegal. Compatriots exchanged a couple of phrases in their native French.

The FIFA Secretary General was also impressed by the exhibition of football-themed products from Vladimir manufacturers. Samura especially liked the gastronomic delights of Vladimir restaurateurs, as well as football cakes made by culinary specialists of the Sobinsky district.

Finally, it came to official speeches. Governor Svetlana Orlova told the guest in detail about the fan zones that will be massively opened in the most beautiful places the city of Vladimir, as well as a large cultural and educational program prepared for tourists by the cultural capital of the World Cup.

- There is something to show not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in the regions of Russia,- said Svetlana Orlova. - The FIFA World Cup has already become a unique occasion that stimulates the emergence of many innovations in all spheres of life in our country - from infrastructure to cultural projects. We have a big boom in Russia. The newest sports football stadiums, new roads, hotels, cities are being transformed. And we are very grateful to you that FIFA has chosen Russia to host the next World Cup. Any big global event forces you to come up with creative ideas. Here is our creative idea - we have become the cultural capital of the World Cup. I want to tell you, Ms. Samura, that holding the World Cup will increase the GRP, because a lot of enterprises have responded to the football theme.

In her response, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samura said that she spent only two hours in Vladimir, but she already feels like a member of the “big Vladimir family”. Touched by the reception, the guest said that she would speak not from a piece of paper, but from a pure heart:

- Perhaps I will be politically incorrect now, but the fact that we gave the choice in favor of Russia when choosing the country of the World Cup was the right decision!

At these words, the hall of the conference hall was drowned in applause, and Governor Orlova only shook her head admiringly: “Well, Fatma! WELL DONE!"

The FIFA Secretary General called our country “the most hospitable in the world” and, for persuasiveness, said that she no longer had enough space in her office from the gifts she was showered with in Russia. By the way, Fatma Samura is very sorry that Vladimir was not included in the list of 11 cities hosting World Cup matches:

- If in your real role you came up with more than 50 cultural events, what would it be like if you hosted the World Cup? There must have been more than 3,000 of them! Thanks to the Vladimir region for the work that has been done. Football is not only scoring goals, but also business development. And I hope this event will inspire new strength to your business.

Saying goodbye to the people of Vladimir, Fatma Samura promised to come to us again:

“I've only been here for a few hours, but I think I'd love to spend the whole weekend here.