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.
George Weah, former FIFA World Player of the year, was in Neuchâtel, Switzerland this past weekend as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the FIFA Master. Weah joins other high-ranking sports personalities as a Patron for the FIFA Master course, including Joseph Blatter, Abedi Pelé, Michel Platini, Sergey Bubka, and Nawal El Moutawakel, just to name a few.
Speaking July 16th at the Graduation Ceremony for the FIFA Master, Weah joined prominent IOC Member and director of CIES, Prof. Denis Oswald, in congratulating 29 postgraduates on their successful completion of the FIFA Master course. Organised by the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES) and endorsed by FIFA, the FIFA Master was created to promote management education within the sports world. A truly international programme, this year’s FIFA Master postgraduates represent 23 nationalities from around the world.
Weah said: ‘As a former sportsman who also entered the world of politics in my home country, I know the importance of a balanced education and sound understanding of world affairs. The balance between the different modules of this course is to be congratulated. Graduates have an important role in ensuring the legacy of this programme continues, as this is just the beginning of the journey!’
The 10th anniversary of the FIFA Master course was also commemorated with the production of a ‘FIFA Master 10th Anniversary Report’, as well as a dinner celebration that many alumni and sports industry representatives enjoyed in Neuchâtel.
The Graduation Ceremony followed the annual ‘FIFA Master Conference’ held on July 15th. Over 100 people, including industry representatives, gathered in Neuchâtel to hear this year’s students present their final research projects. All of these projects are available through CIES.
CIES was created in 1995 as a joint venture between FIFA, the University of Neuchâtel and the City and State of Neuchâtel. As an independent study centre based in Neuchâtel, CIES uses a multi-disciplinary approach to provide three pillars of service offerings – sports industry research, top-level educational programmes and consulting services to the sports world.
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.
