LAUSANNE: UEFA on Monday moved to defuse the situation after European delegates staged a walkout at FIFA’s Congress in Paraguay last week when world football chief Gianni Infantino jetted in late following meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar with US President Donald Trump.

FIFA president Infantino’s belated arrival at the global governing body’s annual meeting on Thursday caused a delay of more than two hours.

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, along with other representatives of European football, including the president of the Norwegian FA, left the 75th FIFA Congress in protest at the delay.

On Monday, European football’s governing body described the relationship between Ceferin and Infantino as “very good... marked by open communication and mutual respect”.

“The recent episode was isolated and does not reflect our ongoing collaboration,” the UEFA statement added.

The annual meeting of world football, already pushed back an hour from its original schedule, finally began more than two hours late.

Infantino issued an apology for his tardiness in remarks to the congress before the delegates left.

He blamed flight problems 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 best interests of the organisation... 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”.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2025