Europe’s football governing body, UEFA has moved to defuse the tension after angry European delegates staged a walkout at FIFA’s Congress in Paraguay last week when world football President Gianni Infantino arrived late after meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US President Donald Trump.
FIFA president Infantino’s late arrival at the global governing body’s annual meeting last Thursday caused a delay of more than two hours.
UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin and other representatives of European football, including the president of the Norwegian FA, left the 75th FIFA Congress in protest over the delay.
On Monday however, European football’s governing body described the relationship between Ceferin and Infantino as “very cordial”… marked by open communication and mutual respect”.
“The recent incident was isolated and does not reflect our ongoing collaboration,” the UEFA statement added.
The annual meeting of world football, was delayed for an hour from its original schedule, but finally began more than two hours late.
MUST READ:Japan Makes History As First Nation To Qualify For 2026 FIFA World Cup
Infantino, on his part, issued an apology for his lateness in remark to the congress before the delegates left.
Infantino blamed flight delays 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 organization’s best interests 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”.
AFP
(Editor Paul Akhagbemhe)
