FIFA President tours new futsal and match operation centre in Bangkok, Thailand

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has taken part in a series of high-level meetings with senior officials from the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and toured a new futsal facility during a visit to the Thai capital Bangkok.

President Infantino began the day by meeting with his counterpart from the FAT, President Somyot Poompanmoung, in the FAT’s headquarters – a project funded by the FIFA Forward Programme – to discuss a wide range of development matters, in Thailand and across the wider continent of Asia.

In January 2020, funds from FIFA’s COVID-19 Relief Plan helped support and restart the Thai League and President Infantino received a further update on the country’s continued recovery from the disruption and distress brought on by the pandemic. That was followed by a visit to the FA Thailand Futsal and Match Operation Center – a project fully funded by the FIFA Forward programme. Accompanied by Somyot Poompanmoung and FAT General Secretary Patit Supaphongs, President Infantino was given a full tour of the new facility, which is located in the Huamark district of Bangkok.

The facility is the new home for futsal in Thailand – complete with a full-size futsal pitch – the new hub also hosts the match operation centre, including the departments for futsal, beach football, and competitions departments. There is office space for up to 100 employees and additional facilities include a video assistant referee (VAR) room. With the building of the new centre, the FAT aims to develop the Thailand futsal national team, improve the standard of match operations and enhance the quality of futsal coaching and referee development.

Futsal Focus