Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday urged FIFA to come up with deliberate programs to instill a sense of business mind in football players.
Hichilema said the programs should ensure that players are tutored on how to manage finances so that they don’t become destitute once they retire from playing football.
“You need to enhance business training for footballers when they are still in their prime. They should be taught how money can work for them once they retire,” he said during a meeting with visiting FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
He commended the world football governing body for its investment in football, saying the investment is required now especially in Africa, where unemployment among young people is high.
According to him, football has done a lot to develop communities in Africa as seen in some of the footballers contributing through construction of health facilities, schools and other social amenities in different parts of Africa.
The Zambian president said football is a unifying factor, which must be used to unifying people and promote love around the world.
On his part, the FIFA president commended Zambia over its football development.
Infantino assured that FIFA will ensure more investment in the development of African football.
Infantino arrived in Zambia on Wednesday for a two-day visit as part of his tour of African countries. During his visit, he will engage with various football stakeholders in order to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Zambian football and explore ways in which FIFA could provide support and guidance.Â
[Xinhua]
