The president of FIFA officially picked up his Lebanese passport during a ceremony at Beirut’s Interior Ministry on Monday, several months after Lebanon’s president approved his citizenship application.
Gianni Infantino, whose wife Lina al-Ashkar is a Lebanese national, expressed gratitude to President Joseph Aoun during their meeting at the ministry. The FIFA leader completed standard procedures including submitting paperwork, posing for photos, and providing fingerprints before officials presented him with his new blue Lebanese travel document.
The soccer executive now holds triple citizenship, as he also maintains passports from Italy and Switzerland.
Speaking in footage broadcast by Lebanese television networks, Infantino expressed his joy about the milestone. “I’m very proud and very happy to be here in Beirut at the Ministry of Interior to finally get my Lebanese passport,” he stated. “I love Lebanon.”
The citizenship approval represents an unusual departure from standard Lebanese regulations. Typically, Lebanese women cannot transfer their nationality to foreign spouses or their children under the country’s legal framework. However, President Aoun created a special exemption for Infantino and extended citizenship privileges to his family members as well.
In contrast, Lebanese men who marry foreign women can automatically grant their nationality to any children, while their wives may qualify for citizenship following a specified marriage duration.
FIFA serves as the worldwide governing organization for professional soccer.
