Meridian direct aid

Direct aid
UEFA is currently providing direct aid over a two-year period to the national associations in the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, after previously giving such assistance to several other countries since the Meridian Project was launched in 1997.

Coaches and referees
Two instructor training courses were held in Bangui (Central African Republic) – one involving 25 youth coaches and the other featuring 25 youth referees. The courses were run by UEFA instructors Jacques Devisme and Michel Vautrot respectively.

Sports medicine
Three courses have been organised in Ethiopia. These centred on coaches, referees and sports medicine, and kits were also distributed. "Despite the immense needs of our countries in the sports sector, we believe that assistance should be directed at training first of all, since it is a matter of helping young people to move with the times and of preventing the gap that currently separates them from the well-to-do countries from widening," said FIFA/CAF instructor Siegfried Honga.

Training instructors
"We are therefore keen for Meridian Project support to needy football associations to concentrate on training instructors for young sportsmen and women," he added.