FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrived in Dhaka on Sunday for a brief transit stop while travelling from Morocco to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.
Infantino landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:45pm on October 18. His stay in Bangladesh was expected to last around two hours before he continued his journey to Bhutan.
Following his arrival, the FIFA chief remained in the airport’s VIP lounge, where he met Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal and other senior federation officials.
The BFF had made preparations for Infantino’s possible arrival on Saturday, coordinating with the relevant authorities amid uncertainty over his travel arrangements. His stop in Dhaka was required because a direct flight from Morocco to Thimphu was unavailable, according to local reports.
The visit was a transit stop rather than an official trip to Bangladesh. Infantino previously visited Dhaka on a full-fledged visit in October 2019, when he attended activities at the BFF headquarters.
His brief appearance in the capital nevertheless provided an opportunity for Bangladesh’s football leadership to meet the head of world football’s governing body.
