FIFA's Measures to Safeguard Players and Attendees - Case Study of U20 Women's World Cup 2022

 

Concrete and expert-supported measures were put in place to ensure the protection and well-being of players and adults, both participating and attending the event

Comprehensive programme implemented at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ in Costa Rica; FIFA (www.FIFA.com) safeguarding official on duty for each of the 32 matches; Additional measures implemented in cooperation with teams and stakeholders at the tournament.

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ held from 10 to 28 August 2022 saw the introduction and successful implementation of the first-ever comprehensive event-safeguarding programme at a FIFA youth tournament. Concrete and expert-supported measures were put in place to ensure the protection and well-being of players and adults, both participating and attending the event.

In line with FIFA’s commitment to embed safeguarding measures across the game, processes were designed to minimise risks of abuse, exploitation and harassment towards children and adults.

The measures included the guarantee of one FIFA safeguarding official on duty for each of the 32 matches, as well as a representative from Costa Rica’s National Children’s Institute.

The programme also included, amongst other initiatives, a presentation on safeguarding at each Team Arrival Meeting, visits to the teams’ training sites and hotels during the tournament and the development and distribution of materials at venues to raise awareness and provide guidance on the scope of the reporting mechanism available for incidents. 

“As a priority at FIFA, we want everyone in football to feel welcome, respected and, most importantly, safe at FIFA competitions and across all levels of the game – especially children, who are the most vulnerable,” said Marie-laure Lemineur, FIFA’s Head of Safeguarding & Child Protection. “We worked closely with a range of FIFA functional areas, experts in the field of safeguarding, as well as stakeholders, local authorities, Concacaf, the Costa Rican member association and the Local Organising Committee over the past couple of years to ensure that a robust and actionable programme was in place for the tournament. Thanks to the dedicated commitment of everyone involved, we facilitated a safe environment for players, fans and all – providing the opportunity for everyone to enjoy the unforgettable action on the pitch.”

FIFA’s mission is to promote the game of football, protect its integrity and bring the game to all. As part of that effort, FIFA’s Vision 2020-2023: Making Football Truly Global (https://fifa.fans/3cBvNGN) initiative sets out its commitment to promoting safe sport as part of the broader efforts to protect human rights.

One of the cornerstones of this commitment is FIFA Guardians™ (https://safeguardinginsport.FIFA.com), the lead programme of the Safeguarding and Child Protection Department that provides a framework to help FIFA’s 211 member associations to prevent any risk of harm to children in football and respond appropriately if needed.

Competition safeguarding programmes will continue to be in place for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ and future FIFA youth tournaments, as well as during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

Key facts:

Nearly 1,000 event safeguarding brochures and stickers distributed at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022

Eight workshops and seminars hosted with key tournament stakeholders, such as team delegations, players, volunteers and match officials, providing information about event safeguarding prevention-and-response measures in place

50+ posters distributed at key tournament venues, including stadiums and training sites

57 visits conducted of participating teams’ training sites and hotel venues

One FIFA event safeguarding officer on duty at every match during the tournament

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.