Fifa president Gianni Infantino ‘very proud’ as he receives Lebanese passport in Beirut

Fifa President Gianni Infantino has officially received his Lebanese passport, months after being granted citizenship in a rare exception to the country's nationality laws.

Married to Lebanese national Lina al-Ashkar, Mr Infantino collected his new blue passport at the Interior Ministry in Beirut on Monday.

He thanked President Joseph Aoun, who approved the special dispensation, after completing paperwork. Mr Infantino also holds Italian and Swiss citizenship.

"I’m very proud and very happy to be here in Beirut at the Ministry of Interior to finally get my Lebanese passport," Mr Infantino said in a video. "I love Lebanon."

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The granting of citizenship to Mr Infantino and his family is notable as Lebanese law typically prevents women from passing nationality to foreign husbands and children.

This contrasts with Lebanese men, who automatically confer nationality to offspring, with wives becoming eligible after a specified period.

Infantino has held the position of Fifa president for a decade after first being elected in February 2016. He has twice been re-elected in 2019 and 2023.

However, his tenure has been a controversial one, with the last two World Cups being held in Russia and Qatar.

Infantino famously scolded the Western media for giving “moral lessons” about the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

In a bizarre hour-long monologue, Infantino hit out at those who had criticised Qatar for exploiting thousands of migrant workers.

On the eve of the tournament, Infantino said: “We have told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the Western world.

“I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”

Infantino has also been criticised for his close ties to Donald Trump after he awarded the US president with the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in December.