FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - SOLOMON MUDEGE

Solomon Mudege

Current Position: FIFA Head of Development Programmes – Africa

Year of graduation: 2010 (10th edition)

Nationality: Zimbabwean

What does your current role involve?

I am currently the Head of Development Programmes – Africa at FIFA. As part of a team and reporting to my Director, my primary task is the delivery of the Forward programme for the FIFA Member Associations in Africa. I also coordinate FIFA’s development initiatives on the African continent in support of other FIFA divisions and various stakeholders. This can involve supporting FIFA programmes for women’s football or working with CAF and the African Union to advance shared interventions. For example, this can include the promotion and implementation of safeguarding and child protection policies within African sport. 

I have been part of the FIFA Member Associations Africa Team for the past seven years and it is quite rewarding to see the impactful and tailored development support that we have delivered to our member associations, CAF and the zonal unions. We have now started the Forward 3.0 cycle (2023 – 2026) and are committed to further advancing football development – both on and off the pitch.

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

As a student, I really enjoyed the lectures from guest speakers and the class field visits. It was important to see the best practice in sport management or law and to benefit from the specialized knowledge of the people working on the major issues in sport. The Humanities of Sport module also taught me to consider the context of each situation and to find holistic solutions within sport administration.

My involvement with the FIFA Master course has also continued after my graduation. For the past twelve years, I have been a guest lecturer as part of the “Sport and Development” sub-module which is delivered by the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University in Leicester and I regularly represent FIFA at the course graduation ceremony in Neuchâtel each July. Presenting lectures on the FIFA Master is a unique opportunity to discuss with the future leaders of sport and to be a part of their academic training. I work with a lot of FIFA Master graduates at FIFA, CAF, our FIFA member associations and other organisations within the football industry. So, I would say that the FIFA Master is continuing to help me in my career through my opportunity to be involved in the development of FIFA Master students who emerge as leaders in my field of work.

What advice would you give to future students on the course?

I am always impressed by the diverse expertise and skills of each edition. Professionally and socially, the course adds to each student’s competences, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the FIFA Master is life-changing. Everything is a learning opportunity, from the course content to the experience of living in three European countries. So, I would advise future students to take a keen interest in their studies and to benefit from all that the FIFA Master has to offer.

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 by the SportBusiness International global rankings.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).