FIFA Deputy Secretary General (Football) Zvonimir Boban has decided to join AC Milan as the club’s Chief Football Officer and will therefore leave FIFA in the coming days.

The 50-year-old Croatian has been working as FIFA’s Deputy Secretary General (Football) and as an advisor to the FIFA President on strategic football matters since 2016. As he prepares to leave his position at the Home of FIFA, Zvonimir reflected on his time at world football’s governing body:

“I will always be grateful to FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the opportunity he gave me after his election in 2016. True to his manifesto pledge to ‘bring football back to FIFA and FIFA back to football’, he had the courage to entrust a former footballer with such a far reaching role within the organisation.”

During his spell at FIFA, Zvonimir has been involved in many reforms that are set to leave a mark on football history and that have helped to restore the organisation’s image.

“I feel really honoured and privileged to have worked on such important projects to take FIFA back to its rightful place, far away from past scandals and a tarnished image. Looking back, I feel a real sense of accomplishment about my contribution to these big changes over the last three years.

"I have been entrusted with leading important projects such as the revamp of the FIFA Club World Cup and the successful bidding process for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, as well as the revolutionary VAR project, which has managed to make the beautiful game fairer and protect its integrity.

"None of this could have been achieved without the support of the President and amazing colleagues who are dedicated to serving the game of football across the globe. There may have been some debates along the way, but we have always upheld our motto of ‘Living Football’ and I will be eternally thankful to everyone.”