FIFA president meets BFF officials during Dhaka stopover

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President and four vice-presidents at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport during a stopover in Dhaka en route to Bhutan.

During the hour-long meeting in a restricted area of the airport, BFF officials briefed Infantino on various issues concerning Bangladeshi football, including plans to build a FIFA-funded technical centre in Cox’s Bazar.

BFF Vice-President Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy, who chairs the federation’s Government Relations Committee, said Infantino had given an initial assurance that FIFA’s financial assistance could be increased if necessary.

“We briefed the FIFA president on various aspects of football in Bangladesh. We also informed him about the construction of a FIFA-funded technical centre in Cox’s Bazar,” Happy said.

Infantino departed for Thimphu at 2:50pm and is scheduled to stay in Bhutan for two days. He may stop in Bangladesh again on his return on October 20, although BFF officials are expected to be in Japan for a special Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress at that time.

Infantino last visited Dhaka in 2017 on a one-day trip. His latest stopover marks his return to the capital after nine years.

Former FIFA president João Havelange visited Dhaka in 1981 to inaugurate a Pioneer Football event, while his successor Sepp Blatter came to Bangladesh in 2006 to inaugurate the AFC Challenge Cup and returned in 2012.

The FIFA president’s brief stay in Bangladesh had not been confirmed until Sunday evening, and the BFF did not formally inform the media after the visit was confirmed. The federation provided photographs and video footage to the media as Infantino departed.

The lack of official communication comes at a crucial time for Bangladeshi football, following the national team’s disappointing performance in the ASEAN Cup and controversy surrounding footballers’ visits to nightclubs. The BFF has also not formally briefed the media on a meeting of its National Teams Committee, despite previously inviting journalists to cover visits to a football academy in Narayanganj.