FIFA President Gianni Infantino has congratulated the Russian football authorities for all of their efforts in maintaining the sport of football despite the ongoing global spread of the novel coronavirus, TASS reports.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) held a conference earlier on Friday discussing the developments of the sport amid the COVID-19 pandemic and FIFA President Infantino sent a recorded video message for the participants in the meeting.
"Looking back, in Russia as well as, unfortunately around the world, we have been taken by surprise by this virus," Infantino said in his video message, addressed to the Russian Football Union.
"The COVID-19 has put us all in a very difficult situation, but I would like to start by congratulating all of you, for the work you have done to bring football back for spectators, protocols’ [officials], and also back with the resumed football at the professional level," Infantino said.
"FIFA and the FIFA president are together with you [with the RFU] in this particular time and although we are distant - we are together," the FIFA president said.
"I think this is the most important as the football has shown in a perfect way how we can bring people together against Covid," he said
