FIFA is mourning Saudi Arabia’s late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz who died on 1 August.

In a letter of condolences to HRH Prince Sultan Bin Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz, the President of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and General Secretary Urs Linsi praised the achievements of King Fahd:

“His passing will leave a huge void in the lives of those who knew him. Not only will he be sorely missed by the people of Saudi Arabia, but that sense of loss will also be felt far beyond the kingdom’s borders.

“He was a man who recognised the role that football and sport in general have to play within the fabric of society and underlined this by building state-of-the-art sports facilities for the benefit of his people and giving his blessing to celebrated events such as the King Fahd Cup, the forerunner to the FIFA Confederations Cup.

“On behalf of the all the members of the international football community who knew, trusted and respected King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, we would like to pass on our sincerest condolences and sympathy to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and all of the nation’s people. Please rest assured that our thoughts are with you at this time of sadness. As a mark of respect, the FIFA flag at our headquarters are flying at half mast today.”

FIFA Media Department
Telephone: +41-43/222 7272 – Telefax: +41-43/222 7373 – E-mail: media@fifa.org

FIFA Communications Division / Zurich, 2 August 2005 / 2005-68-Condolences King Fahd-E.doc