Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, born in Senegal, was appointed as FIFA Secretary General on 13th May 2016 and served in this role until December 2023.

A native French and Wolof speaker, Fatma is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian. She is married and has three children, two boys and one girl. Before becoming FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura served as Country Representative and Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in five countries: Republic of Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, and Niger. In her roles as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Madagascar (2010-2015) and in Nigeria (2016), Fatma was the most senior member of the United Nations staff in both countries. In a humanitarian career with the United Nations that spanned 21 years, Fatma managed to initiate and lead several development and humanitarian programmes across the globe. Countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe have all benefited from her skills in Programme and Operations Management. In addition to her significant experience in complex development, socio-economic, political, and security situations, Fatma has helped countries to respond to various socio-political, economic, humanitarian, security, and Human Rights challenges. Her leadership and vision have helped empower women and youth, change lives, and protect the environment.

As the first African and woman to hold the position of FIFA Secretary General, Fatma is a trailblazer for diversity and gender equality. Since her appointment at FIFA, the number of female staff has increased across the board, including in senior management roles. She also played an integral part in the success of the historic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the highly successful eighth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019. In addition to her role as FIFA Secretary General until December 2023, she was appointed by FIFA and CAF as the FIFA General Delegate for Africa for six months (1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020), to help accelerate the implementation of CAF’s reform process which focused on good governance, organisation of competitions, and the growth and development of African football. In addition to her role as Secretary General (until December 2023), Fatma oversaw the overall operations for the delivery of the record-breaking FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. Fatma Samoura is committed to using the unique power of sport to support, encourage, and empower people around the world.

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