Moscow, June 1 (IANS) World football governing body FIFA's newly appointed Secretary General Fatma Samoura is likely to make an official visit to Russia in July, President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday.
Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura of Senegal was appointed the secretary general on May 13, reports Efe.
She is the first-ever woman to occupy the position in FIFA.
"She is in charge of the administration of FIFA and of course she has a crucial role in the organisation of the 2018 World Cup," Infantino, who is currently paying an official visit to Russia, said.
"She will start officially her duties in FIFA on June 20."
"I think Russia will certainly be one of her first visits in her new quality of the Secretary General," Infantino said. "So I am expecting sometime in July she will certainly be able to come to Russia and then you will see her quite often."
The FIFA president is in Moscow on Wednesday on an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Together they launched the 2018 World Cup and the 2017 Confederations Cup Volunteer Recruitment campaign at a solemn ceremony.
Infantino, elected the president of FIFA three months ago, is paying his second official visit to Russia in his current capacity.
Russia is currently in full-swing preparations for the global football championship after the country won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup at the FIFA Congress in Guatemala on December 4, 2010.
The country selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup. These are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.
The matches of the 2018 World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums located in these 11 cities across Russia. Two of the stadiums are located in the Russian capital.
The 2017 Confederations Cup will be held at four stadiums in Russia at Otkritie Arena in Moscow, St. Petersburg Arena, Fisht in Sochi, and Kazan-Arena in Kazan.
--IANS
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