Gianni Infantino hailed Narendra Modi for his love for sport after the Indian prime minister was seen playing football with children during his visit to Gangtok.
Modi shared glimpses of the interaction on X, calling it a “lovely Gangtok morning” spent with his “young friends.”
The Prime Minister joined children for an impromptu football session, later describing it as an “energising” experience.
“Nothing like playing some football with my young friends in Sikkim on a lovely Gangtok morning!” Modi wrote, alongside images from the session. In a follow-up post, he added, “Clearly, an energising football session with these youngsters!”
Nothing like playing some football with my young friends in Sikkim on a lovely Gangtok morning! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/5xEceWBH1f
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2026
Infantino, who has long advocated for football’s growth in South Asia, reposted the images on Instagram, writing: “Great to see @narendramodi play our beautiful sport. Football truly unites the world.”
Football holds a deep-rooted presence across India’s northeast, often rivaling cricket in popularity in states like Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya, where the sport is woven into the region’s cultural fabric.
This is not the first interaction between Infantino and Modi. The two leaders have met multiple times on global platforms, including the G20 Summit 2018 and during engagements in Kuwait in 2024.
During their 2018 meeting in Argentina, Infantino presented Modi with a personalised FIFA jersey. Reacting to the gesture, Modi had said: “Impossible to come to Argentina and not think about football. Argentinian players are tremendously popular in India.”