Joyce Cook and Youri Djorkaeff appointed to head the FIFA Foundation

18.09.2019

The FIFA Foundation announced today the appointment of Youri Djorkaeff as its Chief Executive Officer and of Joyce Cook as its General Secretary. Both of them will report directly to the Foundation Board.

A FIFA World Cup™ champion with France in 1998, Djorkaeff has been involved in several social development projects, chief of which is his own Youri Djorkaeff Foundation, established in 2014. At the FIFA Foundation, he will work hand in hand with Joyce Cook, one of the world’s leading voices in the areas of sustainable development and inclusion.

"It is a pleasure and a privilege to have Youri Djorkaeff join us in the FIFA Foundation. For every bit of brilliance that he has shown during his footballing career, he is an even stronger asset off the pitch, as someone committed to promoting social change through football. This is a perfect match," said FIFA President – and President of the Foundation Board – Gianni Infantino.

"And while Joyce Cook is already a key element of the FIFA administration, I find it very fitting that she takes over a role that capitalises on her invaluable expertise of finding effective ways to contribute to the improvement of society – in particular of those who need it the most. I look forward to working with both on bringing the FIFA Foundation to a new level of development," concluded Infantino.

Joyce Cook, who has been serving as FIFA's Chief Member Associations Officer since November 2016, being at the helm of the implementation of the FIFA Forward Programme for football development, was also appointed FIFA’s Chief Social Responsibility & Education Officer.

"I am honoured to join the FIFA Foundation as a General Secretary and extremely proud to be the organisation’s first dedicated Chief Social Responsibility & Education Officer," said Cook. "The creation of this position underscores FIFA’s unwavering commitment to these areas of human development, building up on such initiatives as Football For Schools and the FIFA Guardians Child Safeguarding Programme. This is really just the beginning."

Having taken part in social activities organised by the FIFA Legends programme, Djorkaeff now joins the FIFA Foundation with the objective to take yet another step forward in his pledge to employ football as a tool to build a better future.

"The work with my own foundation has been the most rewarding experience in my life, and it is truly gratifying to be able to implement these same values on a global scale with the FIFA Foundation. We all know very well about football’s potential to make a difference in this world − I am glad to be in a position from which I can contribute to that in a very concrete manner."

Established in March 2018, the FIFA Foundation was created as an independent entity with the objectives to help promote positive social change around the world and raise support for the recovery and reconstruction of damaged or destroyed sports infrastructure worldwide. Learn more.

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