MARIGOT--Collectivité President Louis Mussington on March 14 received President of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo. Diallo was in St. Martin to take stock of infrastructure and needs and to meet with local players.
St. Martin was his last stop after visits to French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. With 2.3 million members, 12,500 clubs and a budget of 104 million euros for amateur football, the FFF is one of the world's largest sports federations. Mussington was accompanied by Territorial Councillor in charge of sports, Marc Ménard, St. Martin Football League President Aristide Connor, Kathy Africa, and Technical Adviser Gilles Petit. The rehabilitation of stadiums, accompaniment of St. Martin football, the direct link between the Collectivité and FFF and more widely the link to be defined for the French islands of the Antilles-Guyana with FIFA, were topics of discussion. Unsurprisingly, it was the issue of infrastructure, which is still lagging behind, as well as transport, that were at the heart of discussions with the local authorities. The President of the FFF said he was ready to finalise work on the Jean-Louis Vanterpool stadium so that the teams could play at home and limit their travel costs. Earlier, Diallo was keen to get a first-hand look at the reality of football on the islands, and to form his own opinion on the expectations and needs of the St. Martin League and the clubs. He began his day with a tour of the facilities before meeting with the Préfet Vincent Berton and the President of the Collectivité, before taking part in a question-and-answer session with representatives of the local clubs. The President undertook to send balls and other equipment as soon as possible for the clubs reminding that equipment is available for all clubs on request.
