Tuesday 19 November 2019, 18:08

President Infantino meets football and government authorities in Costa Rica

Continuing a three-day tour across the Caribbean and Central America, FIFA President Infantino arrived in Costa Rica, where he held fruitful talks with the Costa Rican football leadership as well as with the President of the Republic and government representatives. The visit also gave him the opportunity to see first-hand the Costa Rica Football Federation’s (FEDEFUTBOL) first-class football infrastructure.

Upon their arrival in San José, the FIFA President, the Concacaf President Victor Montagliani and the delegation were welcomed by the FEDEFUTBOL leadership headed by President Rodolfo Villalobos. Infantino praised FEDEFUTBOL for their serious work and efforts in improving the game at all levels across the country and encouraged them to continue investing in the next generation of players, both boys and girls, with the full support of FIFA via its Forward development programme.

The visit was also an opportunity to meet the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado Quesada and discuss the possibility of Costa Rica co-hosting the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, together with Panama. The encounter was additionally a chance to exchange views with the Head of State on the important role football plays for the healthy development and education of the youth, in the presence of the FIFA Foundation CEO Youri Djorkaeff.

"Costa Rica is a country where you truly live football and the serious work carried out by the FEDEFUTBOL, in full harmony with the local authorities, is clearly reflected in the state of the art infrastructures and in the important results achieved by the national teams at all levels in the recent past and I warmly congratulate them for this. Costa Rica is a very good example of what can be achieved in terms of football development with serious and hard work, and is a model for the whole region,” said President Infantino.

The programme of the delegation also included a visit to the FEDEFUTBOL headquarters, which offer large, modern installations, including a brand new futsal arena funded by FIFA’s Forward programme.