FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura to step down in December

GENEVA, June 15 (Xinhua) --

The International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) announced Wednesday that Secretary General Fatma Samoura will leave office at the end of the year after seven years in the position.

The world football governing body sung high of the work and achievement of the first female and non-European Secretary General, but didn't mention who will replace Senegal-born Samoura in its statement.

"It has been a privilege and an honor to work with a trailblazer in the game," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Her passion and enthusiasm to drive change has been inspirational. Fatma was the first woman, and the first African, to be appointed to such an important position at FIFA. We respect Fatma's decision and I would like to thank her for such dedication and commitment to football."

Samoura said her work in FIFA made her proud and will spend more time with her family in the future.

"It was the best decision of my life to join FIFA. I am very proud to have led such a diverse team," Samoura was quoted as saying in the statement. "It is a pleasure to work alongside someone that has transformed FIFA. FIFA today is a better governed, more open, more reliable and more transparent organization. I will leave FIFA with a high sense of pride and fulfillment."

Samoura said the reason she exposed the news so early is because there were "growing speculation" about her future in recent months. "I would like to spend more time with my family. I have been in love with football since I was eight years old and I feel honored to have been on this journey," she added.

Samoura was first appointed in May 2016 after working over two decades for the United Nations, and women's football in the world has witnessed "unprecedented growth" during her spell in FIFA.