FIFA President Gianni Infantino has visited Burundi where he met President Evariste Ndayishimiye before taking a tour of the Intwari Stadium in Bujumbura, which is being upgraded with the support of funds from the FIFA Forward programme. The exchange between the two leaders centred on talent development in the country and the importance of infrastructure to support football development.

“We’ve been able to discuss with the President of the country about everything related to talent detection in every hill, in every corner of every village, and every city of this wonderful country,” Gianni Infantino said after the meeting. “The ongoing development project at the Intwari Stadium is a symbol of this commitment.”

Mr Infantino, who was accompanied by the President of the Burundian Football Association, Alexandre Muyenge, also took part in the ceremony to mark the implementation of Football for Schools in Burundi as it became the 100th country to join the programme.

FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger and Chairman of FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina were also part of the FIFA delegation, along with FIFA Director Member Associations Africa Gelson Fernandes and FIFA Senior Football Advisor Youri Djorkaeff.

The delegation subsequently visited the Intwari Stadium in Bujumbura where extensive renovations are currently being undertaken to bring it up to international standards.

“We visited the new stadium under-construction, which is going to be a jewel for Burundi, for a country who looks forward to the future, and which invests in its youth,” the FIFA President said. “As FIFA, we’re proud to be a part of this project, of investing in girls and boys here in this beautiful country.”