Several delegates at the annual FIFA Congress meeting on Thursday expressed their disapproval of President Gianni Infantino by walking out. The meeting was significantly delayed for several hours because Infantino arrived late, returning from a trip to the Middle East where he had met with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Held this year in Asuncion, Paraguay, the congress was initially scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. local time. However, Infantino`s travel arrangements caused the start time to be pushed back to 12:30 p.m. Reports indicated that his private jet was still airborne at the originally scheduled start time, having made a refueling stop in Nigeria during his journey.
According to reports, the eight UEFA members of the FIFA council, alongside some European delegates, did not return to the meeting after the break prompted by the delay. This group included UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
Infantino had been in Qatar and Saudi Arabia with President Trump, attending meetings with Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman. The FIFA president has frequently interacted with Trump since his return to office, participating in pre-inauguration and inauguration events in January, and making multiple visits to the White House. FIFA stated these visits were for official business related to upcoming tournaments like the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Infantino was also present at a World Cup task force meeting at the White House the previous week.
Despite previously scheduled events in Asuncion, including the congress meeting itself which was originally set for Tuesday, Infantino chose to travel to the Middle East. He delayed the congress by two days to join Trump, missing opportunities to engage with presidents and general secretaries from all FIFA member associations. Infantino also missed a dinner hosted by Paraguayan state officials on Wednesday.
Upon finally arriving in Asuncion, Infantino offered an apology for his tardiness but also defended his decision.
“As president of FIFA, my responsibility is to make decisions in the interests of the organization,” Infantino stated. “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.”
Infantino`s apology did not appear to satisfy all attendees, leading to the walkout. Several European officials departed at 2 p.m. local time, adhering to their original schedules. Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, was notably critical of Infantino`s actions.
“The delayed arrival of the FIFA president at the 75th FIFA Congress is disappointing,” Klaveness commented. “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.”
The agenda for this year`s FIFA Congress included reviewing FIFA`s annual report, electing members for various committees (disciplinary, ethics, appeal, governance, audit, and compliance), and discussing proposals from member associations.
