FIFA President Gianni Infantino will visit South Korea next week to meet with corporate sponsors of the international football governing body, a source close to the matter told Yonhap News Agency Friday.
According to the source, Infantino will arrive in Seoul Wednesday and is expected to visit the headquarters of Hyundai Motor Group before leaving the country Thursday. This is Infantino's first visit to South Korea since he was elected FIFA's president in February.
Industry insiders expect Infantino will discuss sponsorship matters with Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's two largest automakers and affiliates of the group.
Hyundai Motor began its alliance with FIFA in 1999, three years before South Korea co-hosted the World Cup with Japan, and in 2007 Hyundai and Kia both signed on with FIFA. In 2010, they extended their partnership until 2022.
This is also the first visit to South Korea by a FIFA chief since Sepp Blatter's trip in November 2010. Blatter, Infantino's predecessor, received a national sports medal of honor from then South Korean president Lee Myung-bak.
The Korea Football Association said that it isn't preparing any receptions or events for Infantino since he is visiting for the sponsorship meeting. KFA President Chung Mong-gyu is a younger cousin of Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo. (Yonhap)
