FORMER Trinidad and Tobago men's football team defender and ex-Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Brent Sancho, has been selected as a successful candidate by FIFA, the world's football governing body, for the inaugural FIFA diploma in club management.
According to a FIFA media release, “The FIFA diploma in club management aims to provide club executives from all around the world with the latest practical know-how and insights from the industry, covering key areas in the successful management of football clubs.
"Bringing together a variety of globally influential voices to analyse and share best practice, this unique and exclusive programme will focus on the latest trends in relation to club operations and stadium management, finance, marketing and communications, sporting and youth academies, governance and legal matters, as well as leadership and negotiation.
“A world-class faculty of industry executives and professionals who are experts in their respective fields and sectors. Also, the course will draw on the knowledge of leading international academics in sport and football management to round out a comprehensive curriculum providing participants with a 360-degree view of club management.”
The first edition of the programme will run from March 2021 to January 2022. The diploma directors are Ornella Desirée Bellia, FIFA head of professional football and Maheta Molango, former CEO of Spanish club Real Mallorca. The programme will consist of a combination of online and on-site modules (subject to developments in the pandemic).
Sancho came through a final interview process from a shortlist of 40 applicants, eventually finishing among the selected 24 individuals from across the globe.
In an interview on the TT Football Association (TTFA) social media page, Sancho said, "I am extremely honoured to be selected for this programme. It is an exciting opportunity to broaden the overall knowledge and understanding of what is required for professional club football management which is something that can only auger well for our domestic football in T&T. It is my intention to ensure that our football benefits from such a programme and my involvement as a member,”
Sancho is a former UK, Finland and US-based professional, the owner of TT Pro League team Central FC and acting chairman of the TT Pro League. In May 2020, Sancho was announced by Concacaf as a member of a Caribbean Professional League Working Group, which has the support of the global governing body FIFA.