FIFA's African grassroots
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As FIFA struggles with internal reforms to clear up a corruption scandal, some within the sport worry that the world governing body could be distracted from its commitment to international development programmes.
Especially in Africa, football associations that lacked proper offices or quality fields for training and games have seen FIFA projects bring significant improvements.
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In the wake of the corruption scandal, which has seen 14 people indicted in the United States and led to the suspension of FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, the talk in the upcoming FIFA presidential election in February is likely to focus on structural reform.
But the agenda is somewhat different in the developing world.
"These programmes are critical for us. Let's be honest, without the FIFA development projects and the Financial Assistance Programme, the small island territories in the Caribbean would be struggling," said Caribbean Football Union president Gordon Derrick.
"These projects, when they are executed properly, are of critical importance to the development of the sport in our region," he added. "They have not always been executed properly, but those that have been are working exceptionally well."
In essence FIFA's projects take the revenue from the World Cup every four years, generated mostly by commercial deals in advanced economies, and spend a portion of it helping nations with little hope of ever making the big stage.
"There is certainly an element of Robin Hood about it," says Champagne.
For Derrick there is also a historical aspect.
"They are the developed countries. The truth be told, the majority of the smaller territories at some point were a colony of one of the major countries, and they should be trying to assist in getting them infrastructural development," he said.
A young girl practises her soccer skills beside an artificial pitch at the Football Centre for Hope in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township. The centre, one of several built by FIFA in South Africa in the run-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, also aims to tackle youth issues in the impoverished township.
A goalkeeper holds a ball near the FIFA-sponsored grounds in Mathare valley slums in Nairobi. FIFA selected the Mathare Youth Sports Association, a youth programme connecting sports with community activities that include environmental development, AIDS prevention and leadership training, to be in charge of the FIFA sporting centre of excellence.
Members of the Mathare Youth Sports Association play soccer in Nairobi.
A girl stands as a goalkeeper on a dusty pitch near the FIFA-sponsored grounds in Nairobi.
Youths play soccer on an artificial pitch at the Football Centre for Hope in Cape Town.
A boy stands as a goalkeeper at the Football Centre for Hope in Cape Town.
Children play soccer at the Edendale Football for Hope Centre in Pietermaritzburg.
Boys practise soccer during a training session at Rufaro Football Stadium in Harare. Rufaro is Zimbabwe's oldest stadium and the only one with artificial turf. The turf was laid by FIFA as part of its development programme in 2011.
A man displays sport merchandise on a car bonnet near the FIFA-funded training pitch in Abuja.
The administrative building of the Football National Technical Center is seen in Bingerville. CNTF's artificial turf was partly funded by FIFA through its Goal Project 5.
The dining room at the football technical training centre built with funding from FIFA, in conjunction with local football governing body, Federation of Uganda Football Association, is seen in Njeru.
Newly trained football coaches have lunch as they watch soccer on television in Njeru.
Children gather on a football field during a grassroots football training session at the technical training center in Njeru.
Footballs are seen on the edge of the training field at the technical training center in Njeru.
