Infantino promises more FIFA support for Bangladesh

FIFA President Gianni Infantino made a quick stop in Dhaka again on Tuesday on his way back from Bhutan, spending about ninety minutes at the airport and talking about football in Bangladesh and South Asia.

Infantino went to Bhutan for two days, and on his way back he stopped in Dhaka before catching his flight to Tokyo, Japan, where he is going for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) special meeting. Since Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal is already in Tokyo, two other vice-presidents, Sabbir Ahmed Aref and Fahad Karim, went to the airport to meet the FIFA boss.

After meeting Infantino, vice-president Fahad Karim shares what they talked about. "We talked about how Bhutan treated him, and also about football in Bangladesh and South Asia," Karim said. "He really wants the club football level to get better across South Asia, and he promised to give us all the help we need."

Karim shared that they also talked about starting a new tournament with the top club teams from South Asian countries. "He talked about a club tournament with the president of the Bhutan football federation, and I am sure he will talk about it with other people in Tokyo too," Karim stated.

During his trip to Bhutan, the FIFA boss announced big money help. The BFF is also very hopeful about getting funds from FIFA. Karim explained, "We have a big project to build our technical centre, and he promised more help even before going to Bhutan. In March, there is a plan at the FIFA meeting to increase the grant money for all countries. If that gets approved, Bangladesh will also get a very good amount."

Infantino stopping in Dhaka twice in one week is a big deal for local football and shows that FIFA is keeping a close eye on what is happening in the country.