FIFA will spearhead a $75 million initiative to rebuild football infrastructure in Gaza destroyed during the war between Israel and Hamas, US President Donald Trump announced Thursday, reports AFP.
Trump revealed the plan at the first meeting of his newly formed “Board of Peace,” a group of close allies initially focused on reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
“I’m also pleased to announce that FIFA will be helping to raise a total of $75 million for projects in Gaza,” Trump said, adding that the projects would center on rebuilding football fields and related facilities.
Addressing FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who attended the event, Trump said further details would be released soon and suggested he may visit the region.
Later Thursday, FIFA issued a statement outlining plans to construct a football academy, a new 20,000-seat national stadium and dozens of pitches across Gaza.
The governing body did not reference Trump’s $75 million figure in its statement, saying instead that funding would be raised “from international leaders and institutions.”
Infantino, who has cultivated close ties with Trump, described the initiative as “a landmark partnership agreement” aimed at supporting recovery in post-conflict areas.
The Board of Peace was formed after the Trump administration, working with Qatar and Egypt, helped broker an October ceasefire to halt two years of war in Gaza.
The United States says its current priority is the disarmament of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered Israel’s large-scale military offensive.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
