THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) announced on Saturday that Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President, Gianni Infantino, will be visiting Guyana in April.
A definite date of arrival or length of stay was not specifically stated, with the GFF only highlighting that the Italian could be in Guyana between Sunday April 9 and Tuesday April 11.
Infantino’s visit will mark just the second time a FIFA President has visited Guyana, dating back to Sepp Blatter’s 2001 visit, reportedly for the momentous turning of the sod for what was thought to be this country’s first football stadium,on land under the control of the University of Guyana (UG).

According to a release from the GFF, the visit by the leader of global football follows visits within the last six weeks by the CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice-President Victor Montagliani and FIFA Director for Africa and the Caribbean,Veron Mosengo-Omba, in a further show of the confidence regional and global bodies have in the positive direction football is heading in Guyana.
“We are delighted that the FIFA President is visiting Guyana so soon after his election last year,” said GFF President Forde.

“FIFA and CONCACAF have expressed their support and encouragement for the work of the Guyana Football Federation, and this visit will be a great honour for the whole of Guyana. We are excited about the prospect of building for the future of Guyana’s football with FIFA and President Infantino, as well as showcasing some of the work we are doing here during his visit.” Said Forde.

Infantino, 47, is the former General Secretary of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), who was elected to lead FIFA, which governs and serves 211 member associations around the world, in February 2016 with a mandate to reform football governance, rebuild trust in the game, and increase investment in football development.
Under President Infantino, FIFA member associations now have access to at least USD $1.25M per year to support running costs, training, infrastructure and facilities projects, and for developmental programmes and competitions such as youth leagues and women’s football.

“This level of funding has the power to transform football in Guyana for generations to come,” Forde noted, while pointing out “we (GFF) are determined to reform and develop football for all in Guyana through sustainable, careful and transparent investment and strong, ethical leadership, in line with the international vision set by FIFA and CONCACAF. We look forward to discussing this further in person with President Infantino this month.”