FIFA President Infantino received Lebanese citizenship

The President of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino received citizenship of the Lebanese Republic.

— It was a great honor for me to receive Lebanese citizenship! It was provided to me by the country’s president, Joseph Khalil Aoun, with whom I met today in Beirut to discuss the development of football and how we can work together to continue to use football as a lever to promote peace and empower young people around the planet. We had constructive communication.

“Having visited this beautiful country during the launch of the second pilot project of the FIFA Football for Schools program, I realized how much our game is loved here, and I am glad that we can help those who dream of football,” Infantino wrote on social networks.

Infantino is married to Lebanese-born Lina al-Ashkar. As Middle East Eye reports, the FIFA president has repeatedly emphasized in interviews with Middle Eastern media that he feels half Lebanese, loves this country and intends to help build modern stadiums in the republic.

Previously, the 55-year-old football official received Swiss and Italian citizenship.