Davos
\nFifa President Gianni Infantino has said he will visit Pakistan \u201cvery soon\u201d, adding that he had promised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif he would make the trip.
\n\u201cWell, I will come to Pakistan, actually, very soon. I promised the prime minister, because we now have a new president of the federation who is doing a fantastic job,\u201d Infantino said.
\nPraising Pakistan\u2019s football potential, the Fifa chief said: \u201cPakistan is a great football country, and we need to bring Pakistan to the head, the top of Asia, for sure.\u201d
\n\u201cWe are working on that. Give every talent a chance, especially Pakistan,\u201d he added.
\nFifa\u2019s Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger also highlighted Pakistan\u2019s population and the scope for grassroots investment through academies and youth football.
\n\u201cLook, Pakistan is a country of 250 million people, so that means there\u2019s a huge potential that we have to develop together,\u201d said the former manager of Arsenal FC.
\n\u201cAnd I met Pakistani people to develop an academy in Pakistan because I think that is the first step, and as well to develop youth football, you know, that\u2019s the second part of what we have to do,\u201d said Wenger.
\n\u201cWith such potential, it is important that you develop your game,\u201d he added.
\nAsked about his own visit to Pakistan, Wenger said: \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d before adding: \u201cI have to see when I go, you know, we are 211 countries, so 365 days is very short, but I hope, I plan to go.\u201d
\nInfantino and Wenger made the remarks on the sidelines of the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos on Thursday.
\nPakistan football has faced prolonged setbacks in recent years due to internal disputes and administrative issues, which resulted in international isolation and repeated interventions by Fifa.
\nHowever, the formation of a new leadership structure has helped restore confidence among stakeholders and opened the door for international engagement once again.
\nInfantino\u2019s planned visit is expected to further strengthen ties between Fifa and Pakistan, with discussions likely to focus on grassroots development, youth programmes and improving football governance.
\nOfficials believe the visit could play a key role in revitalising the sport and unlocking new opportunities for Pakistani football at both domestic and international levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Davos Fifa President Gianni Infantino has said he will visit Pakistan \u201cvery soon\u201d, adding that he had promised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif he would make the trip. \u201cWell, I will come to Pakistan, actually, very soon. I promised the prime minister, because we now have a new president of the federation who is doing a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-527379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n