The President of Kosovo, Dr. Vjosa Osmani, talked about football’s power to unite when she met FIFA President Gianni Infantino during his visit to Pristina on Friday. The FIFA President, who was welcomed by the President of the Federata e Futbollit e Kosovës (FKK), Agim Ademi, also visited the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, where Kosovo play their home matches, and talked about football infrastructure with his hosts. “In his visit to Kosovo, we discussed the unifying power of football, further improving sports infrastructure and continuing to empower our remarkable talents,” said Dr. Osmani.

Among the items discussed by Mr Infantino and Mr Ademi were ideas concerning a national stadium in Kosovo and building more football pitches. The FIFA President also watched an FFK presentation on the FIFA Forward projects which are being undertaken in the country. The FFK has actively engaged with the FIFA Forward programme since its inception in 2016. It has committed funds from the FIFA Forward project to the construction of six artificial pitches for league clubs and a project for the implementation of VAR technology. Gianni Infantino also had separate meetings with: the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti; the Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku; and the Mayor of Pristina Përparim Rama, who handed him the Key to the Capital. The FFK has expressed interest in implementing football activities in school, and other grassroots projects, and the discussions included the use of football as a legitimate tool for education and development.

The FIFA President was accompanied by FIFA World Cup™ winner and now senior football advisor at FIFA Youri Djorkaeff, as well as Albanian Football Association (FSHF) President Armand Duka and North Macedonian Football Association (FFM) President Muamet Sejdini. Kosovo became a FIFA member in 2016. The men’s national team is coached by Alain Giresse, a former France international midfielder, and beat Cyprus 5-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Nations League, their most recent match.