FIFA Master marks end of 25th anniversary year celebrations with major conference and alumni gathering at FIFA House in Zurich.
Friday 5th and Saturday 6th September 2025 are dates which will be remembered for a lifetime in the history of the FIFA Master and for those who gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the course.
Over 150 alumni, ranging from the very first edition of the course in 2000, to our most recent graduates from this summer travelled from the around the globe to be part of the celebrations at the Home of FIFA in Zurich and to attend the “FIFA Master 25 Years: Sport & Future Conference”. Indeed, this was the perfect “home coming” venue for the event.
FIFA President and 25th edition class Patron, Mr Gianni Infantino, welcomed those who had gathered, and noted the significance of the event. He said, “It was with great pleasure and a touch of pride that I welcomed the participants at the ‘FIFA Master 25 Years: Sport & Future Conference’ to FIFA’s home in Zurich, Switzerland. I was fortunate to be there at the start of this inspirational project, and to see experts from so many fields and so many countries coming together 25 years later to discuss the future face of football has shown how far we have developed and we talked about how much further there is still to go globally”.
Following the address by President Infantino, CIES Foundation Council President Pierre Cornu next welcomed the delegates and provided historical context for this important course milestone. He was then followed by current FIFA Master Alumni Association President, Mr Pedro Trengrouse.
The ‘Sport & Future conference’ then began with a busy programme of panel discussions on topics such as, ‘FIFA Master – Bridging Sport and Education for 25 years’, ‘From 1971 t0 2031: Evolution and Perspectives in Women’s Football’, ‘Middle East: Nexus for the Future of Sport?’, ‘Presentation: FIFA World Cup in USA, 10 months to go’, and ‘Transfers and Owners: Debating the Future Economy of Football’.
Thank you to Emeritus Prof. Pierre Lanfranchi (SAFF), Prof, Dino Ruta (SDA Bocconi), Emeritus Professor Denis Oswald (CIES), Emeritus Prof. and new FIFA Master Scientific Committee President Thomas Probst (CIES), Sarai Bareman (FIFA), Beatrice Caliani (UEFA Team Services), Dan Whymark (MIVA Sports CEO), Dr Kevin Tallec Marston (CIES), Emeritus Prof. Martin Polley (DMU), Honey Thaljieh (FIFA), Hicham El Amrani (SAFF Senior Advisor), Mead Al Emadi (Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy), Nicholas Rozenberg (FIFA), Luca Santaniello (FIFA), Jan Kleiner (FIFA), Raffaele Poli (CIES Football Observatory), Gonçalo Almeida (Almeida & Associates) and Prof. Madalina Diaconu (UniNE), who all spoke at the event.
CIES General Secretary Mr Vincent Schatzmann said, “FIFA Master 25 Years: Sport & Future Conference” was the culmination of marking our anniversary year. It began with the welcome day in Leicester for the 25th edition class last September, a sports history conference focussing on the Olympic Games at De Montfort University and then a second conference held at SDA Bocconi in March on the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and then the summer graduation of the current class where President Infantino was our anniversary edition Patron. Each event showcased the multidisciplinary nature of the FIFA Master and how our students study sports history, sports management and sports law”.
FIFA Master Humanities of Sport Module Coordinator Mr James Panter who has worked on the programme for twenty years added, “to be able to attend this amazing event to mark our 25th anniversary year, and to meet up with so many previous students, is something to be cherished. It clearly demonstrates that the community environment and sense of belonging the course generates continues long after graduation from the FIFA Master”.
The day then concluded with a very special, and also very emotional, presentation to mark the retirement of Emeritus Professor and IOC Executive Committee Member, Emeritus Prof. Denis Oswald, from his role as President of the FIFA Master Scientific Committee. Prof. Oswald was presented with a special leaving gift by Mr Vincent Schatzmann, who also introduced a commemorative video featuring messages and tributes from former colleagues and students.
The day then ended with an aperitif in the stunning surroundings of FIFA house.
Day 2 then saw the FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) return to FIFA House for their General Assembly meetings, providing a further opportunity for graduates from all editions to gather and reflect on what we have achieved together since the course first launched in 2000. The alumni event was hosted by Mr Pedro Trengrouse and Ms Kristina Fraesdorf.
As FIFA President Infantino concluded, “The dedication of everyone at the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), De Montfort University, SDA Bocconi and the University of Neuchâtel has ensured more than 700 passionate, talented and well-rounded alumni are changing the face of the sport, using the skills and values they acquired and honed as a result to this incredible initiative. Today is the celebration of an incredible milestone - here’s to the next 25 years of the FIFA Master bringing people together, uniting and contributing to our great sport”.
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 13 times by SportBusiness.
Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
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