European walkout after late Infantino delays FIFA Congress
Fuming European delegates staged a walkout at FIFA's Congress in Paraguay on Thursday after world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late for the session following meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US President Donald Trump.
FIFA President Infantino's belated arrival at the global governing body's annual meeting caused a delay of more than two hours.
Several representatives from European football associations -- including UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin -- cut short their attendance after Infantino called a recess at the event taking place in Luque, outside Asuncion.
UEFA issued a strongly worded statement following the walkout, describing the disruption caused by Infantino's late arrival as "deeply regrettable", accusing the FIFA chief of putting his "private political interests" ahead of the sport.
"The FIFA congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where all the 211 nations in the world's game gather to discuss issues that affect the sport right across the world," the UEFA statement read.
"To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests second.
"We are all in post to serve football; from the streets to the podium, and UEFA members of the FIFA Council felt the need on this occasion to make a point that the game comes first and to leave as originally scheduled."
Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness also expressed dismay at Infantino in a statement circulated to reporters, describing the incident as "disappointing and concerning."
- Infantino apology -
Infantino for his part issued an apology for his tardiness in remarks to the congress before the delegates left.
Infantino blamed flight problems for his late arrival but stressed the importance of attending the meetings in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the hosts of the 2022 and 2034 World Cups respectively.
"As FIFA president, my responsibility is to make decisions in the best interests of the organization (...) I felt I had to be there to represent football and all of you," Infantino said of his visit to the Gulf.
The FIFA leader accompanied Trump -- who he visited last week at the White House -- on his tour of both countries.
The United States will take centre stage for FIFA over the coming years, hosting next month's inaugural Club World Cup before staging the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year, with the Women's World Cup in 2031.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom declined to elaborate on Infantino's late arrival following the meeting.
"I have no comment on that; he explained the reasons why it was delayed. He had important matters to discuss. We had a great Congress," he told reporters.
- 'No-one left out' -
Thursday's meeting wrapped with no major decisions taken.
Alejandro Dominguez, the head of South American federation CONMEBOL, meanwhile used the occasion to comment on preparations for the 2030 World Cup.
Dominguez, who has recently pushed a controversial proposal for the tournament to be expanded from 48 to 64 teams, said he believed "no-one" should be left out of the event, which marks the World Cup's centenary.
"A World Cup is the most popular celebration on planet Earth, and no one should be left out of that celebration," Dominguez said, without explicitly mentioning his idea of expansion.
Dominguez's proposal -- which would allow for more matches to be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay while the bulk of games would remain in Spain, Morocco and Portugal -- has met with stiff opposition throughout the football world.
The presidents of the ruling football bodies in Europe, Asia and Central America, the Caribbean, and North America have all spoken out against expansion.
"I'm not inviting you to change your position, but rather to reflect together on creating something worthy of history," Dominguez said.
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