Gianni Infantino, President of the international football governing body (FIFA), had a stopover in Dhaka while en route from Morocco to Bhutan.
The head of world football’s apex body arrived in Dhaka last afternoon. This visit by Gianni Infantino was not an official one.
He was stopping over in Dhaka simply because there are no direct flights from Morocco to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.
At Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Infantino was welcomed by Tabith Awal, President of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
A courtesy meeting between the two also took place at the airport, attended by several other BFF officials.
Although this brief stopover by the FIFA chief has generated interest within the Bangladeshi football community, there was no indication of any formal meetings or programmes concerning the country’s football in his current itinerary.
Earlier this month, Tabith Awal met with Infantino in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, on the sidelines of the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
During that meeting, they discussed the development of football in Bangladesh-covering men’s and women’s football, age-group competitions, and various FIFA development initiatives.
The continuation of FIFA’s support and cooperation for Bangladeshi football was also a key topic of discussion.