FIFA President Gianni Infantino tells LBCI: Proud to receive Lebanese citizenship and support a new stadium for the national team

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his pride and happiness at soon receiving Lebanese citizenship, highlighting his long-standing connection to the country during an interview with LBCI.

“I don’t have it yet, but soon. I feel very good, I feel very proud, I feel very happy. And I’m Lebanese since many, many years already, so it’s good that we formalize this as well,” Infantino said.

On the topic of helping Lebanese football, Infantino emphasized the need for modern infrastructure. “I feel that there is one thing that we need here in Lebanon, which is a 'state-of-the-art' football stadium. A stadium where the national team can play its home games, a stadium where Lebanon will be proud and will be happy,” he said.

Infantino revealed that discussions about a new stadium had already begun with President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese Football Association. 

“We are exploring the possibility of building a brand new stadium here in Lebanon, in Beirut, because Lebanese people deserve it. A stadium today is not just a place where you play football. A stadium today is a symbol of a country and Lebanon needs a symbol for sport and for football which shows that it wants to move into the future in a modern environment for the youth of this country,” he added.

He outlined the potential scale of the project, noting it could host “20,000, 30,000 spectators,” and said efforts are underway to make it a reality as quickly as possible.

Infantino concluded the interview with a message to the Lebanese people: “Thank you very much.”