CIES officially launches its 20th academic partnership in Saudi Arabia

CIES is pleased to announce the official launch of a new academic partnership in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with King Saud University (KSU) and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).

Thanks to this new academic partnership, which has just been officially signed on the campus of King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, the FIFA/CIES International University Network now has twenty universities worldwide, including Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, India and Europe.

The aim of this new alliance is to organise the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Saudi Arabia thanks to the academic cooperation of King Saud University and the support of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). It will offer participants a comprehensive training course in the key areas of sports management, and in particular, communication, law, marketing, finance, management, event management, and the wider commercial aspects of sport.

The programme serves as part of SAFF’s education initiatives under the SAFF Education Hub, aimed at establishing various academic programmes with the Saudi Arabian football ecosystem. With opportunities to develop education offering and insights around the sport, the partnership supports SAFF’s work to grow the game from grassroots to the professional level together with football federations in Asia and beyond.

At the official signing ceremony in Riyadh, Dr. Abdullah bin Salman Al-Salman, Acting President of King Saud University, declared, “We are delighted to partner with CIES and SAFF on introducing this new engaging programme to our offering at King Saud University, becoming the 20th institute globally to host the international Programme. The role that sport plays in our modern society in the Kingdom is vast both in its capabilities and potential to impact our lives. This new programme will support participants in learning the fundamental aspects of modern management within sport, including football, to progress into roles to support our nation’s growth. We look forward to welcoming our students to the Programme in 2025.”

For his part, Majed Ali Al Sahib, Deputy General Secretary of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, commented, “We are happy to see this new partnership with King Saud University and CIES to introduce the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management for students in Riyadh. This new Programme will support the ongoing growth within both our national sport and the broader football ecosystem of the Kingdom and wider region, and we are proud to see our educational institutions now playing a key role in this. This partnership aligns with SAFF’s strategic vision to advance football education and nurture talent across the kingdom. We look forward to witnessing the first cohort begin its journey here at King Saud University in the coming months.”

In conclusion, Pierre Cornu, President of CIES, added, “It is both a pleasure and an honour for CIES to seal an academic partnership with King Saud University and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. Today the challenges facing sports organisations are numerous. This is where we come in: research and education are essential tools for sports managers. It enables them to better understand their organisation, its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the threats it faces. The FIFA/CIES International Programme organised with our Saudi Arabian partners will enable us to train a new generation of managers at a time when the country intends to play a significant role in world sport.”