Meridian visit to Bangui

Capital visit
Having established initial contact with the Ethiopian FA in May, those in charge of the Meridian Project at UEFA travelled to Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, at the beginning of June. They were accompanied on this first visit by a delegate from the African Football Confederation (CAF).

Heart of Africa
As its name implies, the Central African Republic is situated in the heart of Africa. It covers some 623,000km² and has a population of 3.8m. The official language of the country is French, but Sangho and other tribal languages, such as Banda, Gbaya, and Manza, are also spoken. Since gaining independence in 1960, the republic has experienced several periods of unrest, the latest of which occurred as recently as 15 May of this year, when General Bozizé, now president, orchestrated a successful coup d’état. A lot of installations were destroyed and plundered, but fortunately sports installations emerged unscathed.

Political situation
The FA of the Central African Republic (FCF) was founded in 1961 and admitted as a member of FIFA in 1963, before joining CAF in 1965. On account of the political situation, the national team has been deprived of competing in the international arena for long periods at a time.

Executive committee
Current president of the association is Thierry Kamach, who was first elected in 1997 and re-elected last year. The executive committee is composed of 12 members elected for a four-year term. Among other duties, the executive body appoints the full-time general secretary, a position presently held by Jean-Marie Gbaté.

Detailed project list
The UEFA/CAF delegation met the president and the full executive committee in the association's rented offices in the centre of Bangui to compile a detailed list of the projects that the association would like to implement with UEFA's help. One of the FCF's priorities is to acquire its own headquarters and the association has exceptionally been able to benefit from FIFA's Goal programme not only for this undertaking but also for the renovation of the national stadium in the capital.

UEFA help
The FCF would therefore like UEFA to assist with the furnishing of its new offices, supplying it with telephones, faxes, copiers and computer equipment (including four computers and printers). After detailed examination, these projects have been approved, as have other requests made by the association, including the provision of 1,000 plastic footballs for schools, sports gear for 90 youth teams and 50 referees in the 17 regional leagues, as well as refereeing and first aid equipment for each league.

Association's objectives
In the longer term, the association's objectives are to refurbish a hut within the confines of the headquarters which could be used for referee meetings and as a training and recreation room. Emphasis will also be placed on training, with four courses planned in the fields of administration, sports medicine, refereeing and youth coaching. Plans to develop a training centre will, however, need to be studied in more detail.

Government reception
During their stay in Bangui, the UEFA/CAF delegation were received by the local authorities, the Minister for Culture, and the special adviser to the prime minister. They also attended an African Nations Cup qualifying match between the Central African Republic and the Congo. A press conference was also held, to inform the local media about the main aspects of the co-operation.

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