MIAMI, Florida - On Sunday, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani concluded a three-day, seven-nation tour of the Caribbean with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. During the visit, the delegation met with Member Associations Presidents and representatives, while assessing the progress of football development in Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States Virgin Islands.
“We are honored to have President Infantino visiting our member nations in the Caribbean. I am very proud to see how the love for our game continues growing in these young, vibrant and dynamic communities,” said Montagliani. “Thanks to the hard work of our associations and the joint efforts with FIFA and the governments, we can continue investing in youth competitions and building new facilities that will help drive the game forward across our region.”
The tour initiated with a visit last Friday to the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA), where officials met President Alfredo Whittaker and attended the Caribbean Football Union’s Under-14 Girls Challenge Series. They had the opportunity to meet players from the local U-14 women’s national team and captains from the six Cayman Islands national teams.
The day concluded with a trip to Curacao, where Montagliani and Infantino were greeted by Curacao Football Federation (FFK) President Rignaal Francisca and had a chance to offer his heartfelt congratulations for Curacao’s recent success, including a quarterfinal appearance at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The tour continued on Saturday with a visit to the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) in which President Marvin Fraser met the officials to discuss ways in which football can be further developed on the islands. There was also a visit to the SVFFF Technical Center.
That was followed by travel to Saint Lucia where the executives met with Saint Lucia Football Association President Lyndon Cooper and Prime Minister Allen M. Chastanet. The delegation visited the Saint Lucia Sports Academy and held a meeting with the Girls’ U-17 National Team.
The day wrapped up in Antigua and Barbuda where Infantino and Montagliani were received by Governor-General Rodney Williams and Minister of Sports Daryll Matthew. After meetings with the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) President Everton Gonsalves, the group visited the national association’s new technical center which is funded via FIFA’s Forward program.
The third and final day of the tour began on Sunday in the British Virgin Islands Football Association (BVIFA) where President Andrew Bickerton hosted the delegation at the BVIFA Technical Centre and discussed various ways to encourage further development of the sport on the islands.
The tour then ended with a historical visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association (USVISA) as Infantino became the first FIFA President to visit the USVI, where he and President Montagliani were greeted by USVISA President Hillaren Frederick. The leaders participated in the inauguration of the newly built artificial pitch at the USVISA Technical Center, built thanks to FIFA Forward funds.
