PIF Strengthens Ties with FIFA

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Credit: FIFA

FIFA has announced Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as an official partner of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The long-term partnership between PIF and FIFA sees the former named as an official partner of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, kicking off a broader collaboration aimed at boosting youth participation and supporting grassroots football development.

Details about specific programs and initiatives are expected to be announced soon.

The deal was revealed a week before the tournament began in the U.S. on June 14.

While full information is still limited, an official statement from FIFA and PIF described the partnership as a reflection of their shared goal to grow global participation in sports by creating new opportunities, encouraging innovation, and connecting with fans worldwide.

The announcement also emphasised a focus on young people, noting that the partnership will help support FIFA’s grassroots efforts to engage and inspire the next generation of players.

PIF is the latest organisation to join the roster of Club World Cup partners, alongside established FIFA sponsors like Adidas, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Hisense, Lenovo, and Qatar Airways—all of which already have ongoing relationships with FIFA.

PIF also owns a majority stake in Al Hilal, the only team from Saudi Arabia competing in this year’s tournament.

FIFA’s Chief Business Officer Romy Gai welcomed PIF as a partner for the 2025 Club World Cup, emphasising their shared vision to globalise football and the vital role partners play in both the tournament’s success and the broader development of club football.

“We are delighted to welcome PIF as a partner of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” Gai said in a press release.

“Together, we look forward to delivering a historic tournament that inspires and unites fans from around the world.

“The partners of the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup believe in our vision to make football truly global.

“Their support of the tournament will not only be integral to its success but will underpin investment in supporting the development of club football everywhere.”

The partnership between FIFA and PIF marks a strategic alliance aimed at elevating the global profile of club football while fostering youth engagement and grassroots development through the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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