Building on the success of the first FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence opened at the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich in May 2005, FIFA has now accredited five further official medical centres with a view to ensuring that players on all continents know where to go for expert football medical care, ranging from the prevention of injury and early detection of risk factors for sudden cardiac death through to state-of-the-art diagnosis and therapy. Starting with the Santa Monica rthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group in Santa Monica, USA, on 10 December 2007 and the St fvlarianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan, on 14 December 2007, further inaugurations are planned early this year with the adidas Sports Medicine Centre in Auckland, the Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and the Orthocentre of the Technical University in Munich.
All five centres were carefully selected on the basis of a comprehensive application procedure to prove their clinical, educational and research expertise as well as their practical involvement in the care of teams and their active commitment to preventing injuries.
“FIFA is committed to protecting and improving the health of football players worldwide,” said Dr Michel D’Hooghe, chairman of the FIFA Sports Medical Committee. “We consider effective prevention and accurate diagnosis as top priorities and we are making a strong commitment by offering these centres of excellence to every player looking for therapy or a second opinion on a specific illness or injury.”
“Over the past twelve years, F-MARC has accumulated a considerable body of knowledge through our medical research programme,” explained Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer and chairman of the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC). “Now we have to ensure that this knowledge is practically implemented so that players can fully benefit from top-class prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. We also want to educate and train the next generation of clinical specialists and scientists committed to football medicine.”
Established way back in 1994, F-MARC devised “The 11″ programme for the prevention of injuries that is now successfully being implemented in several countries around the world. Further information on this programme and on the FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence is available on www.FIFA.com.

On behalf of FIFA and the worldwide footballing community, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter has written a neartfe.t letter to his counterpart at the Scottish FA, George Peat, to express his sympathy at the passing of Phil O’Donnell. The 35-year-old Motherwell captain collapsed during a maich against Dundee United on 29 December 2007 and died a short time later. A postmortem revealed that he had died of heart failure. He leaves a wife and four children In the letter, the FIFA President described “his great sadness” and wrote: “It is inconceivable that at such a young age, a player who was leading his side to one of their best seasons has ,ef: us. He will be sorely missed, not only by fans of M’otherwell, where he smarted his career aged 17, but by those of Celiic and Sheffield Wednesday, where he also left his mark, and by all those who love our sport.” Blatter also extended his condolences to Scottish football, but “most importantly, to Phil O’Donnell’s family, friends and loved ones”.

Joseph S. Blatter had an audience with the Japanese Pnme Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo on 13 December ana the FIFA President took the opportunity to congratulate Fukude on his election in September 2007. The two men shareo their views about the beautiful game, with the Prime Minister revealing that he had been a keen footballer as a child. “Football is important for Japan and for social development,” he stressed while reiterating his support for the Japan Football Association. Blatter, meanwhile, was keen to thank Japan for its formidable organisational skills, as seen at the FIFA Club World Cup, wnich has been played annually s’nce 2005, as well as ai the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™ A.so involved in the discussions were Jerome Valcke, FIFA General Secretary, Seishiro Eto, the chairman of the Japanese University Football Federation, and Matsuhige Ohno, a member of the House of Representatives The meeting also touched informally on a potential Japanese bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™. The FIFA P^esiaenT then presented the Prime Minister with a meda’ and an official ball from the FIFA Club World Cup 2007.