FIFA President Gianni Infantino accompanied by Secretary General Fatma Samura on Monday 7th January 2019 visited the Gambia as guests of the Gambia Football Federation.
In welcoming the FIFA team at the GFF Secretariat in Kanifing, GFF PRESIDENT LAMIN Kaba Bajo said the Gambia and it’s stakeholders are proud to have received such a high profile FIFA delegation to the Gambia.
‘We are honored and proud to receive the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino accompanied by our sister and Secretary General Fatma Samura and the FIFA delegation to the Gambia’.
Mr Bajo took the FIFA President on a tour of the GFF Offices in Kanifing upon arrival where Infantino and the FIFA team briefly interacted with the GFF Staff.
The FIFA team was escorted to Banjul where Infantino was scheduled to meet with His Excellency Adama Barrow at State House.
Being an ardent football fan, Barrow received the FIFA Boss and delegation with open arms describing the visit as historic. ‘ This is a historic visit because for the first time in New Gambia, we have a FIFA President to visit us’. He congratulated the football family and singled out GFF President Lamin Kaba Bajo for the tremendous work he is doing for football development in the country. He spoke about his love for football been an ardent fan and follower of the sport which according to him he likes best. ‘ The Gambia is a football loving country’. He called for a stronger partnership between FIFA and GFF while assuring of his government’s contribution to the development of the game. President Barrow solemnly asked FIFA to stand by the Gambia and increase their support to the country. ‘ The size of the country does not matter but instead what can be done to achieve our objectives and therefore we still appeal to you because you have the Executive powers to help us more’. 
President Barrow said as a government, he will do all means possible to continue supporting football growth and development in the Gambia, ‘ although resources are meager’.
Mr. Infantino expressed delight at meeting the President revealing that he is impressed with the developments taking place in football in The Gambia.
The FIFA President assured of the global football body’s continuous support to The Gambia while appealing to the President to also continue supporting football development in the country. ‘ We are here to witness some progress made by the GFF under Lamin Kaba Bajo but its all the stakeholders that contribute to the success of football in the country’. He also congratulated the GFF President for his strides to develop football and for the fact that the Gambia has again been named as sample to two FIFA Football summits where the country’s football work plans have been presented before the world is a testimony of the GFF’s seriousness in football development. ‘ We at FIFA are very proud of the brilliant work you are doing in the Gambia’, Infantino remarked. He said football projects funded by FIFA will be here to stay and to further improve standards, the NTTC in Yundum will be supported much further to improved its standards. He said the Gambia is been observed as a football country and ‘ i have seen the signs. We are here to cooperate and be assured that we will increase the finances to help develop football in the Gambia and we will work together’.
Earlier on at the Presidency, GFF Boss Lamin Kaba Bajo thanked President Barrow for accepting to received the FIFA President at State House despite his busy schedules. ‘ We are grateful and appreciative of your government’s invaluable support to Gambian football’. He said government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports are strong and indispensable partners to the Gambia Football Federation.
Mr Bajo informed the Gambian President about FIFA’s contribution to the growth of Football in the Gambia saying ‘ FIFA renders tremendous support to us in the Gambia and all under the reigns of Mr Gianni Infantino. His initiative Forward Program has tremendously helped to shape Gambian football especially in the last four years’. He said football stakeholders are pleased and honored to have received the FIFA President in the country which according to him is a sign of recognition to the work done by the GFF in transforming football in the country in all aspects of the game. He said Gambia is one of the top most beneficiaries of the Forward program while following all due processes of securing the funds which is followed by vigorous auditing. ‘ Without the support of FIFA, our football would not have been where it is today’, Mr Bajo disclosed at the meeting.
The FIFA delegation later held a stakeholders meeting at the Football Hotel in Yundum shortly after a conducted tour of the hotel facility. He told stakeholders of FIFA’s gratitude to the Gambia Football Federation and its readiness to continue supporting football development in the Gambia. He heaped praises on GFF President Lamin Kaba Bajo and team for doing an exceptional good job.
