“FreeFoot”: Oumarou Sawadogo's programme to revitalise Burkinabè football
The main pillars of the programme of Oumarou Sawadogo, the sole candidate in the election for president of the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF).
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For his first term at the helm of the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF), Oumarou Sawadogo is proposing a governance concept called “FreeFoot”, or football that is resilient, emerging and excellent, built on four pillars.
The main pillars of Oumarou Sawadogo's programme
Pillar 1 focuses on improving the governance of Burkinabè football. At this stage, Oumarou Sawadogo and his team propose to strengthen the Federation's governance tools by revising certain core texts of the institution, the clubs, the districts and the leagues, to make them more workable and compliant with standards. Clubs will be given a good-governance kit. Company-owned clubs and association clubs will receive support to improve their governance.
Pillar 2 focuses on building the capacity of stakeholders and promoting Burkinabè football. On this front, Oumarou Sawadogo also intends to rework things, strengthening stakeholders' capacity and promoting Burkinabè football. Pillar 3 centres on maintaining and strengthening sports infrastructure. Pillar 4 focuses on mobilising financial resources and optimising how they are managed. To that end, a sports cooperative is planned, along with other projects that have not been disclosed.
C.L.A.R.T.E
To support the delivery of this programme, the values of football and those championed by candidate Oumarou Sawadogo have been set out in a value system called “C.L.A.R.T.E”, which takes account of the current context of Burkinabè football.
The C stands for collegiality, meaning work must be done collegially and by consensus. The L stands for loyalty, reflecting respect for commitments. The A stands for ambition. The R for responsibility. The T for tolerance. The E for engagement.
First challenge
As the sole candidate, after the applications of his challengers Ali Guissou and Jonathan Pitroipa were invalidated, Oumarou Sawadogo says his first challenge will be getting the league back under way, after it suffered two abrupt stoppages last season. “The first challenge is the resumption of the league. We need a league that will run to its conclusion without a hitch.”
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On the evening of 31 August, Oumarou Sawadogo and his team will take charge of Burkinabè football, which is undermined by divisions among its stakeholders.