ASUNCION – The European members of the FIFA Council organized a dramatic rating at the World Congress of the Director Body after the late arrival of President Gianni Infantino.
The eight UEFA members of the FIFA Council and several European delegates did not return to the Thursday conference center in Paraguay, including UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, and the president of the English football association (FA) Debbie Hewitt.
The exit followed a period of three hours at the Congress, because the president of FIFA Infantino was late for his own event on Thursday morning, having prioritized meetings with US President Donald Trump in Doha and Qatar this week.
This included the reprogramming of the FIFA Council, which should have been in person in Paraguay on Tuesday, but was rather held practically last Friday.
UEFA said that the change in late calendar “deeply regrettable” due to “what seems to be simply to welcome private political interests” put the interests of football in second position.
The exit does not seem to be linked to the trip because key flights returning to Europe were not planned until early in the evening of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, although some participants travel by private plane. Thursday morning, familiar sources with the situation, which refused to comment on publicly to protect relations, said that some European representatives had planned to leave the event at the end of the time scheduled at 2 p.m., in a symbolic demonstration in Infantino prioritizing meetings in the Middle East this week.
His flight to Asuncion always seemed to be in the air for the local starting time of 9:30 am in Paraguay, delaying the event until 12:30 p.m.
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino (finally) speaks at the FIFA congress at the headquarters of Conmebol in Paraguay on Thursday (Daniel Duarte / AFP)
A UEFA declaration said: “The last minute changes at FIFA congress times are deeply regrettable.
“The FIFA Congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where every 211 nations of the world game come together to discuss the problems that affect sport around the world.
“Our hosts, the FA of Paraguay and our partners in Conmebol, had made considerable efforts to welcome so many delegates and we thank them for their hospitality.
“But for the calendar to have changed at the last minute for what seems to be simply to welcome private political interests, the game does no service and seems to put its interests in second position.
“We are all in office to serve football; From the podium streets, and the members of the FIFA council UEFA felt the need on this occasion to assert that the game arrives first and to leave as initially planned. ”
A declaration by Lise Klaveness, president of Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), who also joined the ranging, said: “The delayed arrival of the president of FIFA during the 75th FIFA congress is disappointing. The annual congress is the most important of the organization around the world.
This is the second time of succession that the Ceférin has left after the coffee break in mid-contrast. Last year in Bangkok, Ceférin missed the closing remarks of Infantino and the vote to decide on the hosts of the 2027 Women’s World Cup, where Brazil’s proposal defeated the joint and European candidacy in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. This ranging, however, was much more variable, with representatives of the FIFA council of England, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Cyprus, Montenegro and Romania which leaving the room.
The FIFA Congress, the decision -making branch of the world football director, meets each year for representatives of member associations to discuss and vote on the important questions of the game.
Infantino, whom President Trump described as “my good friend for a long time”, was present for meetings this week between Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the Emir Qatari Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
Speaking in February, the president of FIFA defended his close relationship with Trump, describing it as “crucial for the success of a World Cup”. The United States will co-organize the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico.
While Infantina seemed to be part of the extended entourage of the American president, representatives of world football associations met in Asuncion for a week of meetings in the absence of infantino.
This includes presidents and CEOs or secretaries general of each national federation. Infantino also missed a dinner organized by officials of the Paraguayan state on Wednesday evening, but was to arrive Thursday morning in time to contact the FIFA Congress.
Klavesseness added: “I understand the frustration and disappointment of European FIFA members. The vice-president of the NFF and I chose to leave the Congress hall with several European colleagues at 2 p.m., as initially planned, for a respectful departure.
“We are now expecting FIFA to explain this situation to its members and guarantee that the votes of member associations are heard and respected.”
Infantino apologized at the start of the Congress for his delay. He said: “As president of FIFA, my responsibility is to make decisions in the interest of the organization. I decided to spend the last two days in the Middle East, knowing that the 2034 World Cup will be in Saudi Arabia and that the 2022 World Cup was in Qatar. Our flight, which made this delay – apologies, sorry, and I can’t wait to spend time with you here.
Victor Montagliani, President of Concacaf and Vice-President of FIFA, initially suggested to journalists that the exodus was due to travel plans, but when UEFA told him that it was because of the delay of Infantino, he said that “two wrongs did not make a right.”
He added: “If someone is late, then someone is late. People have their own actions with their own consequences and I can only work on mine and my Confederation.”
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom told journalists: “The president explained the reasons at the start of the congress and we apologized. We have an excellent relationship with UEFA and European members. I have no other comments. “
The rating of the FA Thursday is particularly dramatic since England is part of a joint proposal for the nations of the house to accommodate the Women’s World Cup in 2035 – and no one else has submitted to the tournament. FA Director General, Mark Bullingham, remained in the room to ensure that the association has kept its vote on the questions raised in the Congress.
Those who left have missed a passionate speech of the Palestinian FA, which sought to suspend the Israeli Federation for an alleged violation of FIFA statues in a dispute over the Israeli teams they support are based on the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, as well as the reports on budgets and the presentation of the FIFA World Football Development Chief, Wenger.
(Top Photo: Daniel Duarte / AFP via Getty Images)
