At a ceremony on 7 February at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke officially presented a badge to AC Milan’s CEO Adriano Galliani and Director Umberto Gandini to honour their club’s victory at the FIFA Club World Cup 2007. This new badge will also be provided to the winning club of all future editions of the competition. Milan will wear the badge on their jerseys throughout 2008 until the new FIFA club world champion is crowned in December this year.
With the club world champion badge, FIFA intends to honour the titleholder and the future winners of its prestigious club event. “The new badge is taking up and extending the existing tradition of displaying stars above team crests that, albeit not official, have become part and parcel of the history of the game,” said Valcke. “FIFA will also honour the three previous winners of the FIFA Club World Cup from Brazil – Corinthians, Sao Paulo FC and Sport Club Internacional – with a similar distinction.”
“AC Milan are very proud to be the first club to display this badge on their jerseys,” commented Galliani. “The history of our club is closely linked to international club competitions such as the former Intercontinental Cup and now the FIFA Club World Cup. Our triumph in Japan is considered to be a special milestone by our club and our fans.”
The new badge acknowledges the achievement of winning the FIFA Club World Cup, a competition that brings together the top club team from each confederation. The winning club may display the badge on their jerseys for one year, right up until the final whistle of the next FIFA Club World Cup. The badge features an image of the trophy and the text “AC Milan Champions 2007″.
In association football, some national and club sides include one or more stars as part of (or beside) the crest on their shirt to represent important trophies that the team has previously won.

On 16 January, world football’s governing body opened the first FIFA Official Store at Shanghai’s Changi airport, thereby strengthening its ties with football fans across the globe. FIFA’s pioneering concept creates a memorable experience for fans of both football and fashion by offering a unique range of official merchandise inspired by the past, present and future of the game.
Designers have created five unique clothing lines for the FIFA Official Store to reflect the heritage and dynamism of football. From vintage-style jerseys that honour FIFA World Cups™ of the past to casual wear and high-end apparel, each item bears the “Official Licensed Product” logo as a seal of quality. The lines – Code, Trophy, Editions, Events and Sports Graphics – will be targeted at male and female consumers of all ages and will appeal to football fans and trendsetters alike. After Singapore, further FIFA Official Stores are due to open in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as in important emerging markets such as Latin America, China and India. FIFA’s exclusive licensing representative until 2014, Global Brands Group, will operate the stores.

The FIFA Associations Committee met at the Home of FIFA in Zurich under the chairmanship of FIFA Vice-President Geoff Thompson (England) on 5 February and examined a number of cases before underlining the importance of taking a strong stance in defending the independence of FIFA’s member associations from any external interference to ensure the adequate administration of football within the associations.
A total of 14 cases were discussed, out of which four were closed, five related to governmental interference, four to internal problems within member associations and one was a specific matter.
Albania – political interference. The ministry of sport has continuously threatened the independence of the association and strong allegations against the association’s president have been made by the minister of sport. Proof of the allegations was requested by FIFA, but no reply received. The association’s statutes have not been registered due to opposition from the ministry. The ministry has been given an ultimatum to stop its interference and allow the registration of the statutes by 21 February, otherwise the association could be suspended.
American Samoa – the situation has in general been improving, with the new Football Federation of American Samoa (FFAS) and a new board elected. FIFA supports this new structure and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Burkina Faso – satisfactory elections, monitored by FIFA and CAF, were held on 12 January 2008. The new president and board were elected in a democratic manner. The case has been closed.
Central African Republic – a new transitory committee has been established by FIFA to support new elections in the coming months. A coordination meeting will be held in Zurich on 20 February to determine the next steps.
Cyprus – meetings have taken place between the Cyprus FA and Turkish Cypriot FA and both sides have been demonstrating goodwill to find “football” solutions within the framework of the FIFA and UEFA statutes to the challenges they face.
Dominica – internal conflict between opposing sides within the football association. FIFA and CONCACAF have sent three fact-finding missions. The situation is untenable and FIFA will continue to examine possible solutions, with more information to be provided on the next steps in the near future.
Indonesia – the committee has established a timeline for the association to produce new statutes within the next three months and to hold elections in accordance with the statutes within three months of the statutes being approved.
Iran – elections were held on 9 January 2008 and observed by FIFA and the AFC. The new president and board were elected in a transparent and democratic manner. Therefore, the case has been closed. Kuwait – following the suspension of the Kuwait FA, the association has complied fully with the directives of FIFA and the AFC. The suspension has therefore been conditionally lifted. The situation has improved and the roadmap is well under way. FIFA will continue to monitor the situation closely. Palestine – the association’s statutes should be ratified in March and elections organised by the beginning of May under the supervision of FIFA and the AFC. Peru – the situation has improved and the interference from the sports ministry has ceased. The case has therefore been closed.
Togo – FIFA is in contact with the government and a roadmap has been agreed upon to re-establish the FTF. Turkey – currently the only one of FIFA’s 208 member associations without independent statutes due to national law. Independent statutes will be drafted and presented by May and the government has agreed to accept them.
US Virgin Islands – elections were held on 1 December 2007 under the observation of FIFA and CONCACAF. It has been agreed that improvements in administration are required. The case has been closed.