FIFA, “a non-profit organization that describes itself as an international governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer”, has announced that it has signed “a sponsorship and technical partnership deal” with blockchain startup Algorand.
As Binance Research explained in a research report published in June 2019, Algorand is “a permissionless, pure proof of stake blockchain that ensures full participation, protection and speed within a truly decentralized network.”
Algorand’s aim is “to remove technical barriers that have undermined mainstream blockchain adoption: decentralization, scale, and security.”
Algorand was built by a team of “internationally recognized researchers, mathematicians, cryptographers, and economists along with proven business leaders from global technology companies.” The executive team consists of Silvio Micali (Founder), Steve Kokinos (CEO), and W. Sean Ford (COO).
According to the press release issued by FIFA on Monday (May 2), this agreement “means Algorand will become the official blockchain platform of FIFA and provide the official blockchain-supported wallet solution.” Also, Algorand will “assist FIFA in further developing its digital assets strategy.”
As for the sponsorship agreement, what this means is that Algorand will be “a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Regional Supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ Official Sponsor.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said:
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Algorand. The collaboration is a clear indication of FIFA’s commitment to continually seeking innovative channels for sustainable revenue growth for further reinvestment back into football ensuring transparency to our stakeholders and world-wide football fans – a key element of our Vision to make football truly global. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Algorand.“
As for FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai, he offered this comment:
“This announcement is an exciting moment for FIFA, as it officially enters into the world of blockchain and the opportunities this presents across various applications. At FIFA, we must constantly strive to identify and explore the most cutting-edge, sustainable and transparent means of increasing revenues to continue to support global football development. Algorand is clearly a forward looking, innovative partner that can help us achieve these goals.“
And Algorand Founder Silvio Micali had this to say:
“From the beginning, Algorand has focused on building technology that promotes inclusivity, opportunity and transparency for all. This partnership with FIFA, the most globally recognised and distinguished organisation in sports, will showcase the potential that the Algorand blockchain has to transform the way we all experience the world’s game.“
According to data by TradingView, on Coinbase, currently (as of 10:43 a.m. UTC on May 3) $ALGO is trading around $0.7016, up 19.2% in the past 24-hour period.
In January, former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci, who is the founder and managing partner of global alternative investment firm SkyBridge Capital (“SkyBridge”), shared his thoughts about Algorand.
SkyBridge is “a global alternative investments firm specializing in multi-strategy commingled fund of hedge funds products, custom separate account portfolios and hedge fund advisory solutions to address the needs of a wide range of market participants ranging from individual accredited investors to large institutions.”
According to a report published by The Daily Hodl on January 16, during an interview (with Digital Asset News) that was released on YouTube on January 15, Scaramucci explained why he has so far invested $250 million in Algorand:
“I’ve got a quarter-billion dollars in Algorand right now. I think Algorand will be the Google...
“You and I, when we were youngsters, we were logging onto the internet using AltaVista. We were using Lycos, America Online – even Prodigy, if you can remember that. Then lo and behold in 1998, this company came along called Google and people were like, ‘Why the hell do I need that? I’ve got all of these other instruments to access the internet,’ and then people say, ‘Well, you know it’s faster. It has machine learning, the algorithms are more widespread. It’s going to lead to better outcomes,’ and lo and behold, Google trumped everybody, and I think that’s going to happen with Algorand...
“I think ultimately when the big enterprises get on to the tokenization side of the market and they start working in the world of DeFi (decentralized finance), they’ll need something that’s scalable like Algorand, secure like Algorand and ultimately decentralized, so they won’t have to worry about capricious inflation-deflation of what it is that they’re using as a form of exchange of value...
“Algorand to me is the future. It’s just going to require more and more people doing deep dive due diligence and making the decision to choose it.“
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed by the author, or any people mentioned in this article, are for informational purposes only, and they do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice. Investing in or trading cryptoassets comes with a risk of financial loss.
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Featured Image by “GooseB” via Pixabay.com
