The FIFA Master is a unique 10-month sport (and not solely football...) Master programme, initiated by FIFA, coordinated by CIES, and taught by three prestigious European universities: De Montfort University (Leicester, UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Milan, IT) and Neuchatel University (Neuchatel, CH), in association with the Università della Svizzera italiana.
What is your current professional activity and your involvement in sport?
I am working now as a sports manager in a local club in which I am organizing the sports events beside my membership in the Players’ Status Committee of the Egyptian Football Federation, I organize also many sports events and lately I have participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2009 in Egypt.
Why did you choose to attend the FIFA/CIES Program in Sport Management at Cairo University?
Cairo University, one of the oldest universities in the Middle East, in cooperation with the Center for Sports Studies, there is no doubt was to obtain the best information in the field of sports management there is and that is why I chose to attend the program.
What were your expectations before the start of the course? and… were they met?
My expectations were met and surpassed. I gained invaluable contacts in Egyptian sport and became more familiar with the various types of legislation and legal principles related to sport management.
What would you say are the key strengths of the FIFA/CIES Program in Sport Management?
There are many key strengths, for instance: getting to know many people interested in the same field of study (sport); learning the latest information concerning sports; entering into contact with foreign specialist consultants who came to teach us.
And that CIES is always open to new propositions made by the students. I have experienced this with the managing team of CIES myself.
Which benefits (on a personal and/or professional level) did you gain from attending the course?
On the personal level, I have gained a lot of new friends in the sports field, and I have gained a lot of knowledge.
On the professional level, while working in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, I noticed a big difference in the way I was dealt with after obtaining such diploma.
What is your best memory/highlight of the course?
Becoming acquainted with Amr Moheb and Vincent Monnier and all friends in the program, and the meeting with President Blatter during his visit to Egypt for the final match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the opening of the Goal program in Egypt.
Would you recommend the FIFA/CIES Program in Sport Management? Why?
For those looking for the best in the world of sport management and development in the field of sport, this program is ideal because it is very beneficial at all levels.
CIES (International Centre for Sports Studies), located in Neuchatel, is a private Swiss foundation, affiliated with the University of Neuchatel and created in 1995 by FIFA (under the impetus of its current president, Mr. Joseph S. Blatter), the University of Neuchatel, and the City and Canton of Neuchatel.
CIES specialises in three specific domains: law, sociology and economy of sport, with a view to bring together the sporting and the academic worlds. Privileging a pluri-disciplinary approach, CIES provides a wide range of research, education and consultancy services.