KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin met with the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) President, Gianni Infantino in Doha last night.

In a statement, Fifa said the discussion between the two leaders touched on a wide range of football development projects taking place across Malaysia and the 2022 Qatar World Cup set to begin on Nov 20 as the host takes on Ecuador.

Apart from the action on the field when the world’s biggest football showdown begins, the two presidents also discussed how to use World Cup as a catalyst not only to inspire a country or a region, but a continent and eventually help to increase global competitiveness.

“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.

“This 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 (in Putrajaya) — which included the installation of an all-weather pitch, a grass pitch with floodlights and an upgrade of the futsal arena,” the statement said.

Fifa said the supremos also talked about the work carried out by Fifa across Asia — which is supported by its regional development office in Kuala Lumpur — and the extensive work done with the Asean.

Meanwhile, Hamidin said he had also briefed Infantino on the development of the Harimau Malaya squad and the football development in the country, besides discussing the potential two-way collaborations.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Infantino for his valuable time today. We are also grateful for his continued support towards Malaysia.

“Football will never develop in any country without the support of Fifa,” he said in a separate statement issued by FAM.

Earlier, Hamidin also paid a courtesy call to Qatar Football Association (QFA) President, Sheikh Hamad Khalifa Ahmed Al Thani in Al-Bidda Tower, Doha.

The Qatar 2022, scheduled from Nov 20 to Dec 18, will be the first-ever World Cup in the Arab world, and only the second in Asia after the 2002 Korea-Japan edition. — Bernama