FIFA President Gianni Infantino met his counterpart from the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, Rovnag Abdullayev, at FIFA's Paris bureau on Tuesday to discuss continued cooperation within the scope of the FIFA Forward project. President Infantino has had a positive relationship with the country during his time in office, attending a UEFA EURO 2020 game in Baku, and in late 2022 the FIFA President congratulated the association as it celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding. In that message, the President Infantino stated FIFA’s unwavering support for the further development of football in the country, and that message was the central theme of Tuesday's encounter with Mr. Abdullayev.

"I admire and support how the association in Azerbaijan has gone about promoting and growing football in the country," said President Infantino. "FIFA will continue to work hand-in-hand with them as they pursue their - and our - goal of reinforcing all aspects of the game." Infrastructure projects and the training of referees were among the topics discussed between the two presidents in the French capital. "We are ranked very high in all FIFA Forward projects. We always feel the support of FIFA and in terms of the future vision of football, we support FIFA's vision. I think FIFA does its best for the development of football," said President Abdullayev. "I extend my gratitude to FIFA and its leadership for their support to Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani football."