Latest news with #FifaCongress
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Uefa move to defuse anger over Infantino delay at Fifa congress
Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin and other European officials walked out of the 75th Fifa congress in Paraguay last week in protest. (Reuters pic) BRUSSELS : Uefa on Monday moved to defuse the situation after European delegates staged a walkout at Fifa's congress in Paraguay last week when world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late 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 on Thursday caused a delay of more than two hours. Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin, along with other representatives of European football, including the president of the Norwegian FA, left the 75th Fifa Congress in protest at the delay. On Monday, European football's governing body described the relationship between Ceferin and Infantino as 'very good… marked by open communication and mutual respect'. 'The recent episode was isolated and does not reflect our ongoing collaboration,' the Uefa statement added. The annual meeting of world football, already pushed back an hour from its original schedule, finally began more than two hours late. Infantino issued an apology for his tardiness in remarks to the congress before the delegates left. He 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 organisation… I felt I had to be there to represent football and all of you,' Infantino said of his visit to the Gulf. Uefa issued a strongly worded statement following the walkout, describing the disruption as 'deeply regrettable', accusing the Fifa chief of putting his 'private political interests' ahead of the sport. Ceferin has publicly opposed Infantino on several issues in recent years, particularly the plan — ultimately abandoned — to hold the World Cup every two years instead of every four. Recently, the Uefa president described the prospect of a 64-team World Cup in 2030 to celebrate the tournament's centenary, as a 'bad idea'. Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it's the clash you can't afford to miss. Book your seat now at before they're gone!
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
European walkout at Fifa Congress after chief Gianni Infantino's delayed arrival
Fifa President Gianni Infantino addresses the Fifa Congress, in Luque, Paraguay, on May 15. PHOTO: REUTERS LUQUE, Paraguay - Fuming European delegates staged a walkout at Fifa's Congress in Paraguay on May 15 after world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late for the session following meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with United States 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 organisation... 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 Mr Trump – who he visited last week at the White House – on his tour of both countries. The US 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. The May 15 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. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Uefa accuses Infantino over Fifa congress walk-out
Uefa accused Gianni Infantino of prioritising "private political interests" after Fifa's president turned up late for the world governing body's congress in has been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East alongside United States President Donald Trump and arrived two hours and 17 minutes past the scheduled 10:30 start time (14:30 BST) for the Fifa said his trip before the congress had been crucial and allowed him "to represent football" in "important discussions" with "world leaders in politics and economy".In protest at the 55-year-old Swiss-Italian's delayed arrival, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin led a group of European delegates, joined by Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, in staging a walk-out during a break at the meant there were clearly empty seats at the Conmebol Convention Center in Luque, on the outskirts of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, when the meeting said in a statement the "last-minute changes" to the timings were "deeply regrettable" but "a point" had to be made."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," said European football's governing body."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 FA president Lise Klaveness added: "The annual congress is the single most important body to ensure good governance of international football."The situation is concerning. Member associations have travelled from all over the world to participate at this congress here in Paraguay, expecting professional leadership and dialogue at the highest level."A number of delegates from Concacaf also decided to leave the congress secretary general Mattias Grafstrom tried to defuse the tensions and said: "Fifa has an excellent relationship with Uefa and also with the European members."The president explained the reasons why he was delayed. He had important matters to deal with, and we have had a great congress here."
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Uefa accuses Infantino of pursuing ‘private interests' on Trump's Gulf tour
Uefa has accused the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, of pursuing 'personal political interests' ahead of his responsibilities to football. The shock intervention from European football's governing body came after several national delegates walked out on the annual Fifa congress earlier on Thursday. The delegates, who included the president of Uefa, Alexander Ceferin, and the chair of the Football Association, Debbie Hewitt, did so in protest at alterations to the meeting's schedule, caused by Infantino arriving late to proceedings after accompanying Donald Trump on a tour of Gulf states. In unusually strong language, Uefa said the changes to the schedule were 'deeply regrettable'. It went on: '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. 'Our hosts, the Paraguay FA and our partners at Conmebol, had gone to considerable effort to accommodate so many delegates and we thank them for their hospitality. But 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.' Infantino had been in the Middle East with Trump visiting leaders from Qatar, who staged the 2022 World Cup, and Saudi Arabia, the 2034 hosts. During one ceremony, Infantino watched on as Trump signed a golden football given to him by the Emir of Qatar. Delays to his flight from the Gulf to Asunción, meant Infantino arrived at his organisation's important annual meeting three hours late. He apologised on stage for his absence several times but also insisted it was important he represented football at the meetings. 'As president of Fifa my responsibility is to make decisions in the interests of the organisation,' Infantino said. 'I felt that I needed to be there to represent football and all of you.' In what has the potential to signal a major rupture in the game, Uefa's statement and its criticism of Infantino has brought to the surface tensions that have simmered for some time. European countries have been frustrated by Fifa's governance under Infantino, feeling they have little influence over an organisation whose interests seem to lie elsewhere. It is also increasingly seen as a rival competition organiser in the club game, while a split over the approach to human rights at the Qatar World Cup has also festered. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Until this point it has been left to the lone voice of the Norwegian Football Association president, Lise Klaveness, to speak out. She pursued Fifa over a lack of remedy for migrant workers' families in Qatar for two years and joined the walkout at the congress on Thursday. Calling Infantino's absence 'concerning', she said: 'I understand the frustration and disappointment from European Fifa members, and we feel sorry for the excellent hosts in Paraguay. Now we expect Fifa to explain this situation to its members and ensure that the voices of the member associations are heard and respected going forward.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Gianni Infantino delays start of Fifa Congress by arriving late from Donald Trump tour
Gianni Infantino delayed the opening of the annual Fifa Congress on Thursday after arriving from his Middle Eastern tour with Donald Trump late. Infantino's flight in a Qatari private jet to Paraguay from Doha, via a stop in Nigeria, was still in the air at the 9:30am local time (12:30pm BST) when the meeting in Asuncion was due to kick off. Fifa then said a new start time was set for three hours later, forcing representatives from 211 member federations to wait. United States, Canada and Mexico. Fifa president Infantino opted to join United States president Trump on the first legs of the his tour of state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar instead of meeting with his voting members. Qatar hosted the men's World Cup in 2022 and Saudi Arabia will host in 2034. On Wednesday in Doha, Qatar's ruling Emir — a fellow member of the International Olympic Committee with Infantino — hosted the visiting delegations at a state dinner at Lusail Palace. . President Trump is set to present the trophy at the finals in New Jersey of both the Club World Cup in July and the World Cup next year.
