Inas Mazhar reports from Zurich on the decisions of the 57th FIFA Congress and the inauguration of its new home In his address to the delegates of the 206 FIFA member associations, a number that was subsequently increased with the admission of Montenegro, FIFA President Joseph Blatter explained the new objectives of the sport's world governing body and stated that social responsibility would take centre stage. Blatter spoke about the challenges that lie ahead. "This Congress has to show us the path that our wonderful football movement and the FIFA family needs to follow. Away from the headlines about major tournaments and matches, football has so many hidden stories to tell about the game's power and aura". With that in mind, in autumn 2007, FIFA will present 26 short films and make them available, free of charge, to the world's media in order to take such aspects of its activities to a wider audience. Blatter explained that FIFA's duty to take its social responsibility even more seriously was due to the popularity of football and the resources that are now available. "FIFA is now in a comfortable financial position and we have to use those resources. But that is not enough. Social responsibility begins with each and every one of us," said Blatter in an appeal to everyone "to use their hearts and minds to help, in line with FIFA's new slogan, 'For the Game. For the World.'" Blatter looked back on the many decisions that FIFA had taken in recent years to develop football, such as its efforts to promote women's football and to include players in the decision- making process by signing a memorandum of understanding with FIFPro, the international players' organisation. Blatter also described the decision passed by the FIFA Congress in Zurich in 2000 with regard to introducing a rotation system to take the World Cup to each confederation in turn as a "milestone". "That decision made it possible to give the 2010 World Cup to the African continent and to South Africa," said Blatter. "The World Cup will definitely be held there. Plan A is South Africa, and so is plan B, C and D." CAF President and FIFA Vice-President Issa Hayatou of Cameroon will be the chairman of the Organising Committee for the World Cup. Blatter said that football faced dangers in the shape of corruption, doping, cheating and racism, stressing that protecting the very nature of the game was vital. "Football is a game of the people for the people, a game with mistakes and errors. Let us defend the human face of football." The success of FIFA's extensive investment in the development of football worldwide seems to be leaving its mark not only on the rise in match attendance and TV audiences but also with regard to the number of people around the globe who actually play the game according to the latest figures. With 265 million male and female players and a further five million referees, coaches and other officials, a grand total of 270 million people, or four per cent of the world's population, are involved in football. These are the impressive findings of the Big Count 2006, a FIFA survey of its member associations (207 at the time), which, having first been conducted in 2000, was repeated last year with the same criteria to provide an interesting insight into the growth of football worldwide. "Football's popularity remains undiminished and is actually increasing," reflected Blatter with satisfaction on the results of the survey. "If you count the relatives and close friends of active participants in football, who share in their passion for the game as fans and support them in other ways, the total number is even more impressive. Well over a billion people worldwide are involved in football at all levels of society and across all borders." The FIFA Congress listened to reports from the working groups for political matters, competitions and financial matters of the Task Force 'For the Good of the Game' and approved a number of principles. The new Strategic Committee will now continue with the task force's work. Blatter described the work of the task force over the last two years as "comprehensive" and "of enormous significance to the future of football". The FIFA Congress listened to reports on the task force's discussions and gave the new Strategic Committee the mandate to work on concrete proposals . As heralded by its new slogan, "For the Game. For the World", FIFA entered a new era on 1 June, one in which football's social responsibility and community will take centre stage. The slogan summarises FIFA's mission to "develop the game, touch the world and build a better future". FIFA inaugurated its new headquarters in the presence of 1,300 association delegates and many invited guests from the world of sport, culture, politics and business. "The Home of FIFA is your home -- come on in," said Blatter to the representatives of FIFA's member associations during his welcome address. "It has been built on a foundation stone that contains earth from your home countries, so it is actually on your ground. We couldn't have wished for more solid foundations." The headquarters, called Home of FIFA, is a resplendent building that was the brainchild of Swiss architect Tilla Theus. It is an administrative, training, conference, logistics and sports centre rolled into one. It is 134 metres long and 41 metres wide but stands just 12 metres high, and as such, it blends perfectly into its landscaped surroundings with three storeys above ground and a further five below. In other words, two-thirds of FIFA's headquarters are below ground level. It cost 240 million Swiss francs. The former headquarters, also in Zurich, was so small that seven additional offices were needed, but all were dotted around Zurich. Samuel Schmid, the Swiss minister of defence and sport, conveyed Switzerland's best wishes on behalf of the federal government. Schmid then presented a gift of an embroidered Swiss flag as a symbol of the country's links with FIFA. Elmar Ledergerber, the mayor of Zurich, where FIFA has been based at various locations since 1932, praised the city's excellent and close working relationship with the world football's governing body. "FIFA and Zurich are, quite simply, a dream team." Planned in 2003, built between June 2004 and late April 2006, operational since May 2006 and now officially opened, the Home of FIFA was built in record time. It all started with FIFA's vision and desire not only to see all 285 of its employees united under one roof, but also to lead the way in promoting and implementing sustainability, flexibility and energy efficiency. The Home of FIFA stands out on account of its sheer size, its transparency and its graceful elegance. The design of the outward-sloping walls, together with the slanting aluminum netting similar to that used in football itself that covers the entire building, bring life and movement into the Home of FIFA, while at the same time also providing state-of-the-art protection from the sun. The building is sectioned according to functional principles. The head contains the foyer, the auditorium, the management offices and the lower-level conference rooms; the body of the building houses the remaining offices, as well as the lower level parking garage, storage rooms and other facilities. With its seating areas, the foyer opens up to the inner courtyard and the outer rooms to the side, as well as to the park and the playing fields. Its quality is the generosity structured by the element of space. The objective is to make individuals feel welcomed, and large groups not feel crushed. The auditorium hovers above the foyer, offering seating for 210 people. It is equipped with the latest audiovisual technology. The actual core of the structure is located on the third underground level. Water and light were consciously selected, as in the foyer, to stress the conference area's importance as FIFA's nerve centre. The large conference room, where the executive committee and the standing committees meet, is lit by a large crystal chandelier, whose shape was inspired by that of the football stadium. In the middle of the room, set into the lapis lazuli floor, is the headquarters foundation stone. It consists of a concrete cube housing an oversized football, a time capsule that contains bags of earth from the countries of all FIFA associations, as well as other mementos. Next to the conference room is the meditation room, with its glowing onyx shell that widens as it reaches towards the ceiling, which offers adherents of all religions a place for meditation and contemplation. Light and lighting play a decisive role in the building, which is anchored by five underground levels deep into the ground. In the stairwells, light meanders support the dynamic movement of the climbing stairs and plunge the hard core of Brazilian granite into a soft light. The lift cabins glide like lanterns through the cores of the support towers. The corridors with their chrome supports lend structure and light to the long, drawn-out form of the building. The "through-and-throughs", which are also part of the artistic lighting concept of the American James Turrell, offer secure orientation. Each corridor, whether lengthwise or crosswise, leads to the light with an unobstructed view of the surroundings. The corridors end in generous, often two-storied lounges. In addition to the Brazilian granite, which is grey or black depending on its cut and processing, and the blue of the lapis lazuli plates (also from Brazil) strong and fresh colours set periodic accents -- for example in the cafeteria, the central venue for employees during their breaks, or in the underground parking garage, with its storage space for logistics and vehicles. The sports pitches (playing fields of artificial turf or sand, as well as a mini-field) and the fitness centre with seminar room and wellness installation, inspire one to engage in sport and do one's own body some good. The main element of the outside landscape design is a park to the south and west of the building, which interchanges dense forest vegetation with open fields and clearings. It is accessed by a meandering footpath that leads through the various plant worlds, offering new views and impressions of the installation and the bordering surroundings. Plants from all six "football continents" are represented. A savannah-like landscape stands for Africa, a copse of blossoms for Asia. Powerful groups of trees with an undergrowth of shrubs rise up from fields of high grass, portraying Oceania's bushland. Vegetation such as is found in mountain forests represent South America and the varied robust and exotic character of its landscape. Europe is portrayed by the small trees and bushes of varying height along the indigenous forest's edge, which extends the existing bordering forest onto FIFA's property and ties the campus to the surrounding landscape by overriding the visual boundary. The Home of FIFA also sets benchmarks for the environment. The highest priority was given to an ecological and economic energy concept tied to modern facilities, which was harmoniously integrated into the nearby recreation area. Against this backdrop, FIFA decided on a zero- emissions building, whose requirements were completely fulfilled -- for example by rejecting fossil fuels and CO2 emissions, and by implementing energy-efficient technologies and the optimal interplay of heating and cooling system. If the building needs to be heated and cooled at the same time, the heat pump takes heat from the cooling network and transfers it to the heating network.
