A day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in Paris on to sign an historic agreement, this Saturday he attended a Ligue 2 match in Guingamp, where the home team took on league leaders Toulouse. “Guingamp is the city of the French Football Federation’s, President Noël Le Graët, who is a friend” the FIFA President told French television. “I promised him a long time ago that I’d come to watch a game.”

“We’ve known each other for several years now. We share this incredible passion for football and also share a desire to accomplish things. Alongside President Le Graët, we took part in the organisation of the Euro hosted by France when I was still working for UEFA. France won the FIFA World Cup in 2018; my first World Cup as FIFA President. It’s like your first love, you can never forget it, can you?” he added. However, that friendship goes beyond the personal level, and together, both men are now working on multiple projects for the benefit of the game. “We now have a FIFA office in Paris, too. Noël Le Graët is the FIFA delegate for this office. Yesterday we signed an agreement together with the French government, the French [Football] Federation and the National Union of School Sport for football in schools. We have many, many projects here in France, and France is a leading country in the world, not only in football. We’re working together too on other continents, including Africa and Asia,” President Infantino continued. Although Guingamp lost the game, President Infantino was able to witness six goals. “This emotion, adrenaline and excitement are exactly the same whether you play on Saturday afternoons, on Sunday mornings, or at the World Cup. The heart beats just the same.”