ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s late arrival from the Middle East, where he joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week, delayed the opening of FIFA’s annual meeting of 211 member federations on Thursday.
Infantino’s flight in a Qatari private jet to Paraguay from Doha, via a stop in Nigeria, was still in the air at the 9:30 a.m. local time (1230 GMT) scheduled start of the meeting he was to address in Asuncion.
The flight eventually landed about one hour before the meeting got started more than three hours late.
Infantino apologized to his audience several times, citing issues with his flight for the delay and insisting it was important he represented soccer at the political meetings in the Middle East.
“As president of FIFA my responsibility is to make decisions in the interests of the organization," Infantino said. "I felt that I needed to be there to represent football and all of you.”
Officials from the national federations have gathered in Paraguay all week for one of their last major meetings before the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Paraguay President Santiago Peña was there to deliver his opening speech hours later than scheduled and praised Infantino as “a personal friend and a friend of Paraguay.”
Infantino opted to join President Trump on the first legs of the tour 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.
Infantino has built close ties to both Trump administrations. 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.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
