Football |14 April 2023
Fifa president Infantino was welcomed on arrival by SFF boss Chetty (Photos: Roland Duval)
Fifa boss Infantino is here
Fédération Internationale de Football Association president Gianni Infantino arrived in the country yesterday evening for a short visit and is expected to leave this afternoon.
For his first-time visit, Mr Infantino was met at the airport by the president of the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) Elvis Chetty, while the visit will be highlighted by a call on President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House this morning in the presence of the Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Celine Zialor, and other football officials.
Mr Infantino said he is “happy to be in Seychelles”, describing it as “a football country, with a majority of the population enjoying the game”.
He also said “it is important to visit Seychelles since the country will also host one of Fifa’s World Cups pretty soon, notably the 2025 Beach Soccer World Cup”.
During the day, today, Mr Infantino will visit several football projects in Seychelles funded by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) under the Forward 1.0 and Forward 2.0 programmes and officially inaugurate the Astroturf playing fields at the SFF headquarters at Roche Caïman which were resurfaced last year.
He will also visit the technical centre at the SFF headquarters and the Astroturf pitch at La Retraite.
Also on the agenda is a football match where Mr Infantino will join mixed teams of under-17 boys and girls at the Roche Caïman Astroturf.
Mr Infantino is leading a seven-person delegation including Fifa deputy secretary general for football Mattias Grafstrom, senior football advisor Youri Djorkaeff, director for member associations of Africa Gelson Fernandes and Fifa development programme manager Celine Zigaul.
Mr Infantino was first named Fifa president in 2016 when he took over the remaining term of his suspended predecessor, Joseph Blatter. During the 73rd Fifa congress on Thursday March 16, 2023 he was re-elected as president of Fifa for four more years, after running unopposed at the congress of world football's ruling body. The 52-year-old Swiss-Italian lawyer was confirmed in office by acclamation at the gathering in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Mr Infantino can seek another term in 2027 until 2031, according to Fifa statutes.
Mr Infantino is the second Fifa boss to visit Seychelles after his predecessor Joseph Blatter, known as Sepp Blatter,
Made his inaugural trip here in 2001 when Seychelles hosted the African under-17 championship.
He came back in December 2011 on holidays.
Roland Duval
