July 30 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino has departed the Women’s World Cup to tour the Pacific, prompting criticism after he had called for the women’s tournament to be shown the same respect as the men’s competition.
At the World Cup in Qatar, Infantino attended the lion’s share of the tournament’s 64 matches, but Sky Sports reports, having tracked the movements of a private jet known to have been used by Infantino, that the FIFA president left New Zealand on 25 July for Tahiti, a nation that Infantino had also visited shortly before the start of the finals.
Infantino attended matches in all of New Zealand’s four host cities, including the opening game between the Football Ferns and Norway at Auckland’s iconic Eden Park, but is yet to watch any of the action in Australia, co-hosts of the Women’s World Cup. The Matildas are in action again on Monday against Canada in a crunch match.
FIFA had previously announced that Infantino would visit some of the member associations of the Oceania Football Confederation and in a statement on Saturday, FIFA said that Infantino became the first FIFA president to visit the Cook Islands.
FIFA confirmed that Infantino will also attend group-stage matches in Australia. The first round of the tournament wraps up on August 3 with Group H matches in Perth and Brisbane.
Infantino’s endless jetting around the world has raised questions about his commitment to climate change. Last year, he raised a ‘green card’ to draw attention to the protection of the environment. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Infantino was among the most active travellers.
On Instagram, Infantino, who has built a solid reputation for crass remarks, posted a message from American Samoa that was in part aimed at his detractors: “So, here is my message to all these moralists giving lessons to people on so many things: Chill, relax, live and let live!”
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