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Albert Zbily- Corporate Football's Mastermind

Writer's picture: Jonah LazarusJonah Lazarus

Updated: Mar 21, 2024

Albert Zbily, a former referee, is the founder of the International Federation of Corporate Football (FIFCO), the world governing body of corporate football, an organisation which he set up 15 years ago and one which currently operates in 60 countries across the world.




FIFCO was established by Albert 15 years ago with four core values, namely to encourage a healthy lifestyle in the workplace, encourage intercompany networking, creating a team spirit in the office and celebrating the amateur game. According to Albert, FIFCO represents a combination of people who are either getting back into football after not playing for a long time, or people who have never played before. 


As there had been no formal body which oversaw amateur corporate football on a global level, Albert believed that it was necessary to create FIFCO in order to meet this demand. Although he describes FIFCO as still being in its “start-up phase”, he sees the success of the last 15 years as a testament to the strength of the members that have signed up to FIFCO. 


Although FIFCO has had a remarkable level of success, and holds a World Cup every year with the most recent one being held in Abu Dhabi, Albert said that the most significant obstacle to the growth of his organisation is local understanding of what FIFCO is doing. Several countries receive support from their local FA's to encourage more participation from non-traditional players, others feel FIFCO's work is already handled by their respective FA's.


“We’re not stepping on anybody’s toes. I think we’re a compliment”, Albert said. FIFCO is bridging a gap in adult football where some FA's have not been able to get their numbers to grow. In Canada, one of the organisers of the upcoming 2026 World Cup, numbers of adults playing has to compete against other more popular sports in the country. Albert said that he believes FIFCO can help to build a bridge between the official tournament and the world of corporate football. Many FA's see the corporations as sponsors without any engagement. 


At the last World Cup in Qatar, Albert said that the tournament was “very positive” for FIFCO as they had held their own World Cup a month earlier in Dubai. Much like FIFA, Albert has found a strong level of interest in the Middle East, holding his World Cup in the UAE, and with an Iranian team winning three out of the past five World Cups. 


In keeping with the value of building bridges between companies and cultures, Albert believes in bringing teams from different cultures to a pitch. Although this would benefit FIFCO, certain politics remain intact and render the cultural differences as political challenges.

FIFCO as an organisation is firm in its apolitical position, a stance which has continued to endure even with the ongoing war in Israel. Although Albert is Jewish, in the case of the war, he said that “I have to remain neutral”, as the President of FIFCO must be impartial. During last year’s World Cup in Abu Dhabi, the games were held while the war in Israel was raging. “We can not take any position on the war in the Middle East”, is Albert’s firm stance on the issue, "since our sporting federation is about the game and building understanding. We do not have any official political messages."


When asked what FIFCO’s long-term aspirations are, Albert said that he wants to see FIFCO becoming an authority and “an influence on a positive change in the workplace”. Albert cited  WHO annual report puts the figure of 6 million deaths every year are killed by inactivity, and that FIFCO can become a force in encouraging companies to get employees fit, by using the game as the conduit to a better work-life balance.


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