We need to make Ivory Coast football fans happy – Fifa president Infantino

Fifa president promises to favour Ivory Coast

JOHANNESBURG, May 6 (ANA) – Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa) president Gianni Infantino in a visit to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday vowed to keep the interests of the West African nation close to his heart.

Infantino said: ”We need to work together to make football great and make the millions of passionate fans in Ivory Coast, a country that has won the Afcon twice and will soon host it, happy.”

The presidents of Caf and Fifa travelled to Ivory Coast on Monday as part of their first joint mission in Africa since the election of Patrice Motsepe as the confederation’s new president in March.

Central to their two-day itinerary were meetings with government and football officials, with the focus on promoting unity and serenity, developing and strengthening the country’s football governance and launching the continent’s inaugural pan-African inter-school football championship in Abobo, a municipality just outside the country’s capital Abidjan.

Arriving in Abidjan they were greeted by members of the normalisation committee of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), including President Mariam Dao Gabala, who along with her colleagues has been responsible for bringing football back into play in Ivory Coast.

Motsepe underlined the unifying power of football being more important than differences between diverse groups of people. He was also keen to highlight Caf’s support for the West African nation stating: “Ivory Coast has Caf’s total commitment and 2023’s Afcon (Africa Cup of Nations) here will be the best ever.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman