UEFA Condemns The Delay In The Arrival Of FIFA President From Donald Trump Tour In The Middle East

JAKARTA - FIFA president Gianni Infantino chose to start his week in the Middle East by joining US President Donald Trump's state visit with their close ally, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who was then the Qatari Emir.

The impact was felt on Thursday, May 15, 2025, local time, when the delay in Infantino's arrival on a private jet from Qatar forced the FIFA annual meeting in Paraguay to start more than three hours late.

This led to a strike in the middle of a meeting in protest by senior officials from the European Football Confederation (UEFA) over delays.

UEFA said in a statement that what appeared to be just to accommodate personal political interests, did not provide any benefits to the game and appeared to put his own interests first.

Infantino has chosen real-world politics with World Cup host countries in the past and the future rather than being on the other side of the world along with 211 members and voters of its national federation. They had started arriving in Paraguay three days earlier.

The jet provided by the Qatari government that flew the FIFA boss from Doha, via Nigeria, means he was still at an altitude above the Atlantic Ocean when his meeting was supposed to start.

It also prompted some senior European football officials on the FIFA Steering Committee, including UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, to leave their seats on the main stage early.

"We are bringing the world together today in Asuncion (Paraguay)," Infantino said in his closing remarks on the stage where about a quarter of the seats had been vacant for the previous 90 minutes.

For the second year in a row, there was no press conference after Congress to question Infantino.

Infantino has apologized to his audience several times when the meeting finally opened near 1 pm local time, not 09.30 am as originally scheduled.

He mentioned the problem with his flight and emphasized that it was important for him to be in the Middle East in important discussions with several world leaders in politics and the economy.

"I feel I have to be there to represent all of you, to represent football."

"As President of FIFA, my responsibility is to make decisions for the sake of the organization," said Infantino.

Since the meeting was very late, some European delegates did not return to the hall after taking a break from drinking coffee in the middle of a meeting.

The vacant seats were actually provided to the FIFA Council, which consists of 37 people and chaired by Infantino, including the seat of Ceferin and two other FIFA Vice Presidents from Europe, namely Hungarian banker Sandor Csanyyi andUS Hewitt who is the President of the English Football Association (FA). Football federation officials from Germany, Norway and Romania also left the venue.

While those who are still on stage with Infantino are the most senior officials of the Paraguayn football federation, Alejandro Dominguez, FIFA Vice President and Head of the South American Football Agency (Conmebol).

The president of the Paraguay Football Federation (PFA), Santiago Pena, was also affected. He delivered his opening address - who usually attended the host's head of state - a few hours later than scheduled although he still praised Infantino as "a close friend and Paraguay's best friend".

Pena previously said in January 2025 that he claimed to be instrumental in suggesting Infantino that FIFA hold major events in Paraguay, which will host one of the 104 matches in the World Cup in 2030, most of which will be jointly organized by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

As is known, Infantino chose to join President Trump in the first round of the tour instead of meeting with his voters.

Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, while the United States will host with Canada and Mexico next year. Then, Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani - along with International Olympic Committee members with Infantino - visited a delegation visiting a state dinner at the Lusail Palace.

Infantino has established close ties with the two Trump governments. He was inside the parliament building in January 2025 for the official presidential inauguration ceremony.

Trump will hand over the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup trophies in July 2025. The agenda was held right in the 2025 Club World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The 2025 Club World Cup trophy is now in the FIFA Congress room on Thursday, May 15, 2025. While the World Cup gold trophy has been in the Oval Room of the White House for the past few weeks.