Football's world governing body FIFA has officially opened its new headquarters in Zurich. It is called "Home of FIFA."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the vast complex with a glass front will, as he put it, "allow light to shine through the building and create the transparency we all stand for."
The headquarters is an administrative, training, conference, logistics and sports center all in one. It is 134 meters long and 41 meters wide, but just 12 meters high. Three stories are above ground and five are below, and the building blends into the landscaped surroundings. It cost nearly $200 million.
The facility actually became operational a year ago but FIFA delayed the official inauguration to coincide with this week's football congress. Festivities were put on for 1,300 association delegates and many invited guests from the worlds of sport, culture, politics and business.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
