Riyadh – Mubasher: The football industry amounts to $200 billion of gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2018, with 70% coming only from Europe, President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said on the first day of the seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference.

Infantino stated: “Boost that 30% from the rest of the world, and we reach $500 billion.”

He elaborated on how the industry can reach new horizons by saying: “Football really manages to bring people together and we need to work on this together.”

From his side, the CEO of FII Institute,  Richard Attias, who is the Executive Chairman of Richard Attias & Associates (RA&A), pinpointed how FIFA is creating opportunities linked to major issues affecting the world's communities through global partnerships.

Attias noted: “FIFA has reformed and now focuses on uniting the world through football. Its campaign partners with important organisations to highlight social issues.”

The CEO further said: “Part of this vision is globalising football by raising funds for its development. This prioritises women and expands youth competitions, creating more opportunities for players globally.”

During the conference, several officials and world leaders addressed how Saudi Arabia has made changes over the recent years to accelerate its growth in line with Vision 2030 in addition to mentioning that the future of steel is in the Middle East.