Gianni Infantino and the President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Haji Hamidin Bin Haji Mohd Amin, have met to discuss and identify opportunities for the next stages of football development across Malaysia. President Hamidin – who is also a FIFA Council member following his election at the 33rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress on 1 February 2023 – travelled to Paris to meet with President Infantino on the afternoon of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022™, which will take place in the same city later on the same day. FAM has actively engaged the FIFA Forward programme – the mechanism by which FIFA distributes its revenues to its 211 member associations to assist with football development projects – and the two presidents were able to reflect on the diverse work carried out to date.

President Infantino said: “It is always a great pleasure to spent time in the company of our friends from the Football Association of Malaysia – who have been a shining example of how continued engagement with the FIFA Forward programme can have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on football development. Today’s meeting provided a great opportunity to look back on the many things we have already achieved together, and to look ahead to what more we can deliver in the future.” The work referenced by President Infantino includes the continued support of futsal and women’s leagues within Malaysia, as well as the recent renovation of FAM’s headquarters and training centre – which included the installation of an all-weather pitch, a grass pitch with floodlights and an upgrade of the member association’s futsal arena. Speaking straight after the meeting, President Hamidin said: “We had a good meeting with President Infantino. Number one is that the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, always receives and welcomes all Presidents, if any, necessary for the meeting and the important meeting today regarding the FIFA Forward programme 3.0.”