BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun informed FIFA President Gianni Infantino of his approval to grant him Lebanese citizenship on Tuesday, the head of the Lebanese Football Association told AFP.
“The President informed (Infantino) of the decree and the requirements of the file in order to complete its implementation,” Hashem Haidar, head of the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), said.
“The decree granting citizenship to Infantino came as he is a public figure who provides services to Lebanon.”
A government official, who requested anonymity, confirmed the offer.
Infantino, 55, is a Swiss-Italian national married to a Lebanese woman, Leena Al-Ashqar, who used to work for the LFA.
“I don’t have it yet, but soon. I feel very good and very proud, I feel very happy,” Infantino told Lebanese channel LBCI. “I am Lebanese since many many years already, so it’s good that we formalize this as well.”
According to the LFA’s website, Aoun asked Infantino to “complete the necessary legal documents and papers to finalize the Lebanese citizenship decree at a later time.”
Infantino said that Lebanon needed “a state of the art football stadium.”
“We are exploring the possibility of building a brand new stadium...(for) 20-30,000 spectators,” he added.
“A stadium today is not just a place where you play,” said Infantino. “A stadium today is a symbol of a country, and Lebanon needs a symbol for sport and football which shows that it wants to move into the future in a modern environment. For the youth of this country.”
Haidar said that Infantino had “pledged to cover all the costs of the new stadium in Lebanon.”
“We have to secure the land for the stadium and they will take care of the rest of the construction process, and they insisted that the stadium be in Beirut,” he added.
The Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut is the largest in Lebanon, with a capacity of approximately 50,000 spectators. It was opened in 1957 and renovated before hosting the Arab Games in 1997, but has suffered from neglect in recent years.