After controversial trip with Trump: FIFA boss keeps delegates waiting for hours – many leave the congress

EXPRESS After controversial trip with Trump: FIFA boss keeps delegates waiting for hours – many leave the congress 9 hours • 3 minutes read FIFA President Infantino arrived at the FIFA Congress significantly late. Gianni Infantino (55) kept his followers waiting and waiting. And when the FIFA boss finally appeared on the big stage, considerably late, he apologized in a relatively meek manner. After the controversial trip to the Middle East alongside Donald Trump (78), Infantino didn't make it to Asunción in time. The Swiss not only caused an unprecedented scandal, he also snubbed the association representatives from all over the world who had traveled there, including DFB President Bernd Neuendorf (63). Infantino delayed: "It's worrying" The congress of the 211 FIFA member associations, the most important gathering of the football community, began more than three hours late. Before the official start, Infantino justified his trip in Trump's wake: He had held "important discussions with leading politicians and business representatives." "I felt I had to be there to represent all of you, to represent football," Infantino said. However, there had been "a small problem with our flight." Previously, Infantino had skipped official appointments and, to make matters worse, missed the originally planned start of the congress. The "Sportschau" reported that the FIFA president had only entered Brazilian airspace at the scheduled start. According to the report, a private Qatar Airways plane took the head of the world governing body to Paraguay after a stopover for refueling in Nigeria. Hundreds of delegates from around the world had already set off for South America at the beginning of the week. All of them, including Neuendorf, stayed put for a long time on Thursday. Internally, there was talk of "unforeseen circumstances." Forbes magazine described it as "a first in modern history." In the days before, Infantino had accompanied the US President on his first major foreign trip – and had received criticism for it. "We are very surprised by this. It is important that he is present on the days we are present. This is the most important meeting place for us," said Norwegian association head Lise Klaveness, referring to his absence in the run-up to the congress. The 44-year-old emphasized that she had not received any official information about Infantino's schedule. "If he is not there, it is worrying. This is where democracy takes place," Klaveness said. "It is a development worth asking some questions about, not just for the press, but also for us." After a visit to Saudi Arabia, Infantino remained in Qatar on Wednesday. There, he participated in a ceremony with Trump and the Qatari Emir – and therefore missed a dinner with Paraguay's president. Proximity to Trump, who is hosting the Club World Cup this summer and much of the 2026 World Cup, appears to be more important to Infantino at the moment. The FIFA president has repeatedly appeared alongside the US president in recent weeks, who recently praised Infantino at every opportunity. The 55-year-old is also maintaining increasingly close ties with Saudi Arabia, the controversial host of the 2034 World Cup. Infantino has "accepted invitations to a number of important events with world leaders, where FIFA World Cups will also be discussed," FIFA said in response to a request from "The Athletic." A Council meeting planned for this week had already been postponed and held digitally on Friday. In protest against Infantino's behavior during the general assembly, the European Council delegates, including DFB President Bernd Neuendorf and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, collectively left the congress podium in Asunción. After the coffee break, the officials did not return to their reserved seats. There was no immediate reaction from the UEFA delegates or FIFA regarding the incident. However, it was confirmed that it was a coordinated action. (sid/dpa)