From Words to Action: The Power of the FMA Network
Back in September 2025, during the FMA Congress at FIFA Headquarters in Zurich, the FIFA Master Alumni Association proudly announced its collaboration with the United Nations Youth Office on the global #Football4MentalHealth initiative.
One of the key speakers at the Congress was Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, who presented the vision behind the initiative and the collaboration with the FMA.
At that same Congress, one of the participants in the discussion about future opportunities for the FMA was Mohsen Gilani, newly-elected President of the Pakistan Football Federation and FIFA Master alumnus.
The connection established in Zurich between the Pakistan Football Federation, the United Nations Youth Office and the FMA network proved instrumental in transforming conversations into concrete action.
On 21 May 2026, the Pakistan Football Federation, together with the United Nations in Pakistan and the UN Youth Office, officially launched the #Football4MentalHealth initiative in Islamabad, making Pakistan one of the first countries to join this important global movement.
The announcement is a powerful reminder of what makes the FIFA Master Alumni network unique: connections created through the programme do not remain only as ideas or conversations — they evolve into partnerships, initiatives and real impact.
From Zurich to Islamabad, this is yet another example that when committed people come together around a shared purpose, commitments can lead to creation, and words can lead to action.
One World. One Game. One Goal.
Felipe Paullier, UN’s Assistant Secretary-General for Youth, Mohsen Gilani, President of the Pakistan Football Federation, and Pedro Trengrouse, President of the FMA Committee at the FMA Congress in Zurich, in September 2025.