logo
FIFA boss accused of disrespect following Trump visit

FIFA boss accused of disrespect following Trump visit

Independent16-05-2025

FIFA president Gianni Infantino 's late arrival to the FIFA Congress, due to a trip with Donald Trump to the Middle East, sparked a walkout by UEFA delegates, including FA chair Debbie Hewitt.
UEFA accused Infantino of prioritising "private political interests" over the game, citing last-minute schedule changes to accommodate his trip with Trump and meetings with leaders in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
The walkout, led by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, left rows of empty seats during Infantino's address, highlighting the growing unrest within European football administration concerning FIFA's direction under Infantino.
Infantino defended his trip as essential for representing football in discussions with world leaders, particularly regarding the 2026 and 2034 World Cups.
The incident underscores tensions within FIFA and raises questions about Infantino's leadership and the influence of political agendas on the organisation.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do
Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do

The Sun

time32 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do

ARSENAL ace David Raya jetted off to Las Vegas for his stag do with close friends. Raya, 29, helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League with some solid performances between the sticks that also contributed to his team's run to the Champions League semi-finals. 8 8 8 8 But now the goalkeeper is gearing up for his wedding with model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul. The Spain international proposed to Tatiana in October of last year and they are now set to marry. And the Spain international has kicked off the wedding preparations with a bachelor party in Sin City. Raya was joined by his brother Oscar as well as Spanish comedian Tomas Garcia Serrano. A number of footballers also linked up with them including Getafe's Diego Rico Salguero as well as Rayo Vallecano's Adri Embarba and Unai Lopez. All of them took to the streets of Vegas wearing Arsenal gear and taking group photos. But before making it to the US, Raya was pictured dressed as an air stewardess during the flight. The keeper appeared to be serving other passengers cookies on board the aircraft. Tatiana and Raya have been together since 2021 but left it until June 2022 to go public with their relationship. The model heralds from Barcelona but has since moved her life to London to be alongside Raya. Arsenal star David Raya cosies up to model fiancee on yacht as she leaves little to imagination in see-through tights She previously divided her time between the capital and Spain. 8 8 8 8

Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostage in Gaza, PM says
Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostage in Gaza, PM says

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostage in Gaza, PM says

Israeli security forces operating in Gaza have recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named one of them as Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, 59, who was killed inside his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October teenage sons, Or and Yagil, and his partner, Meirav Tal, were abducted alive and released in November 2023, as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and said the name of the other hostage had not yet been released, but that their family had been are now 53 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. News of the recovery of Yair Yaakov's body initially came from his sons."Dad, I love you," Yagil wrote in a post on Instagram on Wednesday evening, according to the Haaretz newspaper. "I don't know how to respond yet. I'm sad to say this. I'm waiting for your funeral, I love you and knew this day would come."Yagil also thanked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet internal security service and expressed hope that the remaining hostages "will be brought [back] in a deal that doesn't risk soldiers".Later, Netanyahu issued a statement saying: "Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their most beloved.""I thank the soldiers and commanders for another successful execution of the sacred mission to return our hostages."The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents many hostages' families, said in a statement that it "bows its head in sorrow over the murder of Yaya and shares in the profound grief of the Yaakov family"."There are no words to express the depth of this pain," it added. "The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home, Now!"The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 55,104 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Glentoran's time will come with fine tuning
Glentoran's time will come with fine tuning

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Glentoran's time will come with fine tuning

Glentoran owner Ali Pour says the club just needs a bit of "fine tuning" and he will "give it as long as it takes" for the club to achieve took over at the Irish Premiership side six years ago and the club have only won an Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in that season, Declan Devine guided the club to the County Antrim Shield and a third place finish in the league, when a top-two finish would have secured European they missed out on Europe by losing the play-off semi-final, and were defeated in the BetMcLean Cup final and quarter-finals of the Irish admits it was a "disappointing season" but says the club are "getting there"."We've had a few hiccups along the way, but we are very close. "Had we scored an extra goal and finished second, this would be a very different conversation. Fine margins have resulted in where we are today."The gap isn't huge. I expected better results in the last six years, in terms of silverware. We should have won more trophies, no one can dispute that. "But it's never a huge gap. It's always fine margins. Many of the games we lost or drew last season were so finely poised. We were one goal away from finishing second. "The level is up there, the squad performance, Declan's performance - it's all where it should be. I think we just need a bit of fine tuning."Glentoran haven't won the league since the 2008-09 season, but Pour says he believes the Gibson Cup will return to the Oval sooner rather than later. "Our time will come eventually, whether it's under my control or others. "We are serious contenders. There's no reason why it can't happen - the budget's there, we're still signing top players, Declan is more than qualified and capable of bringing the Gibson Cup here."If I didn't think we were capable, I probably wouldn't invest as much. What would be the point? We are capable of doing it and I'm sure one day we will, Who knows, it could be this season." 'Strong bid' for stadium redevelopment Something that the London-based owner believes could add to Glentoran's all round success and improve things on and off the pitch, is a new League clubs are awaiting news on how much money they will receive from the long-awaited Northern Ireland Football Fund. In Pour's eyes his club have submitted the best application and have requested a large portion of the available £36 million."When you look at the Oval, the stadium is falling apart here and I've seen other stadiums that need money. We have waited long enough. "The government has made a decision that they are going to put an amount of money into football. £36 million is not enough by any means for the whole league, so hopefully there will be more to come."Pour says the club have "ticked all the boxes" with a strong bid, and says it is a "big chunk" of the fund."We put a very, very strong bid in and I am very proud of what we have done. We have asked for a lot, we've asked for a big chunk. "Look, we can build a stadium for £20 million, we can build one for £100 million. It just depends how advanced you want it to be."Our need is clear, we sell out many big games because there is space available, but it's jut not safe. "In terms of impact, our social partnership has done wonders in this area and we understand the need to be sustainable. So, we're very optimistic." 'We're missing a talisman' After finishing third this season, the east Belfast side lost their European play-off semi-final to Cliftonville, something Pour admitted falls well short of the club's standards."European football is very important financially and from an emotional perspective. I was disappointed at the end of the season as our squad was more than capable of progressing through Europe. "We put a very strong team together, so we could have done really well had we qualified for Europe. It was hard to see us not get in there and obviously we could have made a lot of money in Europe in the next few months.""Emotionally, the fans and myself, we deserve to be in Europe. We're a full time club, we're very well financed, we've spent a lot of money over the past few years. It should be a given. "Even statistically speaking, there are four places available. We're a top two/top three team, we should be in Europe every year. Now this is the second year we haven't qualified, it's disappointing." Looking ahead to next season and summer transfers, Pour said manager Declan Devine has identified the positions they need to have already signed Scottish midfielder Liam Burt from Shamrock Rovers and Pour stressed there would be further additions."We may bring in two or three more players to strengthen our squad for next season. We're missing a talisman, we're still lacking a real goalscorer, someone who pulls it all together. So, I think we need one more upfront and one in a more defensive position."The club's women's team have achieved great success in recent seasons, wining three of the last five NIFL Premiership titles, achieving European football and most recently topping their group in the All-Island Cup to progress to the quarter-finals where they will host Dublin side Bohemians."The women's team are the thing that cheers me up," said Pour. "When the men's team isn't doing to well, they give me energy. The manager, Kim [Turner], is doing a great job."They've had a great start to the season and are doing so well in the All-Island Cup. I will support them all the way."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store