Gianni Infantino enjoys Chefchaouen
Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), has been in Chefchaouen with his family on holiday before taking part in the Throne Day celebrations.
The Throne Day is an annual celebration of the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, who has been the monarch of Morocco since 1999, and is an important celebration for the North African country.
Various world figures travelled to Morocco for the occasion, including the FIFA president, who has had several contacts with Moroccan officials in recent months due to the kingdom's status as organiser of the 2026 World Cup, an event it will host alongside Spain and Portugal.
Gianni Infantino's arrival led to a significant security presence in the city centre as the official delegation made its way to the hotel.
The FIFA president was included in the list of participants for the royal reception scheduled to take place during the Throne Day celebrations in the capital Rabat. This is not the first time that the head of world football has taken part in these celebrations and been received by the Moroccan monarch. In 2018, King Mohammed VI granted him an audience during the same festivities, consolidating the relationship between FIFA and the Moroccan monarchy.
Chefchaouen has been a stopover in the FIFA President's busy schedule, who will later take part in the events planned for the Throne Day celebrations.
The city is located in the Rif Mountains in north-western Morocco. It is known for the spectacular blue buildings of different shades in its old town, as well as its cobbled, sloping streets, lined with weaving workshops and leather goods shops. In the shaded main square, Uta el Hammam, stand the red walls of the kasbah, a 15th-century fortress and dungeon with ethnographic exhibitions and works of art. The octagonal minaret of the Great Mosque stands nearby. A beautiful spot in the North African country that has allowed Gianni Infantino to disconnect and enjoy time with his family.
Infantino thus returns to Rabat, where he was with Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, for the official opening of the FIFA Office in Africa, which joins other similar centres focused on promoting world football on different continents, located in Paris (France), Miami (United States) and Jakarta (Indonesia). The FIFA president stated that this office will have 'a global impact on football'.
The FIFA Office in Rabat is located in the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat and serves as a meeting place for FIFA and its 54 African member associations to discuss current and future development projects, thereby strengthening the links between world football's governing body and entities linked to African football.
Gianni Infantino was also able to see first-hand the development of Chefchaouen, accompanied by the governor of the province, Mohammed Alami Ouadane. This enclave is currently generating great expectations due to its craft industry and tourist activity, which make the so-called Blue City one of Morocco's major attractions.
