Selected delegates at the FIFA Congress departed their annual assembly on Thursday as a form of protest against president Gianni Infantino. His arrival forced the meeting to commence several hours behind schedule, as he was returning from a trip to the Middle East where he had spent time with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The yearly meeting, which was held in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, was originally set to start at 9:30 a.m. local time but was postponed until 12:30 p.m. because of Infantino`s travel plans. His private jet from Qatar was reportedly still in the air when the meeting was supposed to begin, and his lengthy journey included a refueling stop in Nigeria.
According to reports, the eight UEFA members on the FIFA council, along with several European delegates, did not come back for the delayed meeting. This group included UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
Infantino had been in Qatar and Saudi Arabia alongside President Trump, where he attended Trump`s meetings with Qatar`s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Arabia`s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman. The head of FIFA has frequently engaged with Trump since the latter returned to office. This includes attending pre-inauguration events and the inauguration itself, and making multiple visits to the White House for what FIFA has described as official discussions regarding the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host. Infantino was also present at the White House recently for a meeting of the World Cup task force.
Infantino opted to travel to the Middle East despite having commitments previously scheduled in Asuncion. These included the Congress meeting itself, which was originally set for Tuesday of that week, but which Infantino postponed by two days to accompany Trump. His absence meant he missed opportunities to connect with the presidents and general secretaries of all FIFA member associations. Infantino also missed a dinner hosted by Paraguayan state officials on Wednesday.
Upon his eventual arrival in Asuncion, Infantino offered an apology for his tardiness, but also defended his choice of itinerary.
Infantino stated:
`As president of FIFA, my responsibility is to make decisions in the interests of the organization. I decided to be the last two days in the Middle East knowing the 2034 World Cup will be in Saudi Arabia and the World Cup in 2022 was in Qatar. The `25 Club World Cup and `26 World Cup will be in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Some important discussions took place in regard to the World Cup, and I felt that I needed to be there to represent football and all of you. We had an issue with our flight, which made this delay happen. Apologies. Sorry, and I am looking forward to spending time with you here.`
However, Infantino`s apology did not appease all attendees, leading to the staged walkout. Several officials from European countries left at 2 p.m. local time, as was part of their original plans.
Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, was notably critical of Infantino`s actions.
Klaveness commented:
`The delayed arrival of the FIFA president at the 75th FIFA Congress is disappointing. The annual congress is the single most important body to ensure good governance of international football. The situation is concerning. [Two hundred and ten] member associations have traveled from all over the world to participate at this Congress here in Paraguay, expecting professional leadership and dialogue at the highest level.`
Among the scheduled items on the agenda for this year`s FIFA Congress were a review of FIFA`s annual report, the election of members for the disciplinary committee, ethics committee, appeal committee, and the governance, audit and compliance committee, as well as the discussion of other proposals submitted by member associations.
