Gianni Infantino praises the organizational efforts of the Gulf 25 in Basra Iraq
Gianni Infantino
He wrote on his page the following
I am so happy that competitive football has finally returned to Iraq, a real football loving country, even more so with such a prestigious tournament. Football is happiness and it gives hope to so many people and in this case to an entire country. The full stadium and fantastic atmosphere in Basra tonight is a testimony to that. I would like to congratulate Iraq, the Iraq Football Association and the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for the warm welcome and all the organisational efforts. Tournaments like this are fundamental to making football truly global and showing that football unites the world. FIFA has to be and is present!
While this is a moment of joy for the Iraqi people and the teams involved, we are also reminded that world football is also united in cherishing the memories on the field provided by Pelé and Gianluca Vialli who both passed away in recent days. I am sure football fans everywhere will keep these two wonderful players and outstanding personalities in their thoughts, as it was significantly the case today during the minute of silence ahead of the opening game of the Arabian Gulf Cup.
