The construction of a new national stadium “which will make this country proud” was a central theme of talks held between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Kyrgyz head of state Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek.

President Infantino arrived in the Kyrgyz Republic on the fourth leg of his tour of central Asian member associations, and sat down with Mr. Japarov in the President’s Ala Archa state residence to discuss on-going and future projects in the country supported by the FIFA Forward initiative, including the opening of the KFU’s new office in Bishkek: “Today, we are here for the grand opening ceremony of these beautiful new headquarters of the Kyrgyz Football Union, which will be the heart of football in this country for the future”, Mr. Infantino said in front of KFU President Mederbek Sydykov, whose organisation was the first of FIFA’s 211 member associations to implement a grassroots project for girls, setting them up in several locations around the country using the funds and resources of FIFA’s Women’s Development Programme.

“And from here, together, we will invest and develop football all over the country with investment in infrastructure, [in a] technical centre, women’s football and [launching the] Football for Schools [programme]. I’m looking forward to coming back [...] to Kyrgyzstan to inaugurate many new projects for football, football academies but also [...] a beautiful new, symbolic football stadium, a national stadium, which will make this country proud.”

After the FIFA President officially opened the KFU’s new office, he took part in a match between the ‘Team of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic’ and the ‘Team of FIFA’.