UEFA declaration
© Imago
To protest the behavior of the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, the delegates of the European Council left the podium at the Congress of the World Corporate Association. After the coffee break, the officials led by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, and the boss of the DFB Bernd Neuendorf did not return to the places reserved for them behind the president of FIFA.
European officials protested the behavior of Infantino, who had arrived in Asunción too late after his trip to the Middle East with US President Donald Trump. The members of 211 associations had to wait for the hours. After all, the congress started more than three hours late. Infantino apologized, but then held the general meeting regularly.
Update 10:20 p.m.: UEFA said later in a press release: « A short -term change in the calendar, which seems to serve only private political interests, does no favor in (Site notre bureau spécialisé) and seems to be on the back. » Leaving the scene was therefore precisely planned, namely when the congress should have ended. « We are all at the service of street (Site notre bureau spécialisé) on the podium. UEFA members of the FIFA Council have seen it necessary to emphasize that (Site notre bureau spécialisé) passes first and to remove the congress as originally planned, » said UEFA. At first, there was no infantinos or FIFA reaction on the behavior of Europeans.
The head of the World (Site notre blog d’information) Association had gone for Asunción with a private jet, but had not reached the capital of Paraguay in time. Infantino had spent in recent days in Saudi Arabia and Qatar to support US President Donald Trump.
This trip had provoked critical comments in official circles, because the Swiss had already missed appointments in the race at the General Assembly. Hundreds of delegates awaited Infantino in Asunción. There were problems with his plane, he said. The trip with Trump was necessary. « As president of FIFA, it is my responsibility to make decisions in the interest of the organization. I felt that I had to be there to represent (Site notre bureau spécialisé) and all. »