Uefa accused Gianni Infantino of prioritising “private political interests” after Fifa’s president turned up late for the world governing body’s own congress in Paraguay.
Infantino has been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East alongside United States President Donald Trump and arrived two hours and 17 minutes past the scheduled 10:30 start time (14:30 BST) for the Fifa event.
Infantino said his trip prior to the congress had been crucial as it allowed him “to represent football” in “important discussions” with “world leaders in politics and economy”.
In protest at the 55-year-old Swiss-Italian’s delayed arrival, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin led a group of European delegates, joined by Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, in staging a walk-out during a break at the event.
It meant there were clearly empty seats at the Conmebol Convention Center in Luque, on the outskirts of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, when the meeting resumed.
Uefa said in a statement the “last-minute changes” to the timings were “deeply regrettable” but “a point” had to be made.
“The Fifa congress is one of the most important meetings in world football, where all the 211 nations in the world’s game gather to discuss issues that affect the sport right across the world,” said European football’s governing body.
“To have the timetable changed at the last minute for what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests, does the game no service and appears to put its interests second.
“We are all in post to serve football, from the streets to the podium, and Uefa members of the Fifa council felt the need on this occasion to make a point that the game comes first and to leave as originally scheduled.”
