FIFA President Gianni Infantino has left the World Cup in order to head over to the Middle East. Infantino has been present at every game thus far and his attenance for the upcoming semi-finals does not look to be in doubt despite the fact he is set attend the funeral of the recently-deceased ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Over the weekend, a private jet headed for Doha departed Miami in the wake of England’s quarter-final victory over Norway. The airliner is linked to Infantino and he has since been spotted with other mourners for the late father of the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, according to The Mirror.
Infantino is expected to return to the United States within the next 24 hours as the semi-finals are set to commence on Tuesday. The 56-year-old has built a close relationship with leaders in Qatar, who hosted the 2022 World Cup, which was the second major men’s tournament he has overseen.
The death of Qatar’s former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was confirmed on Sunday morning by the country’s Amiri Diwan. “May God grant him His mercy and forgiveness,” it said in a statement on social media of the 74-year-old.
Qatar later announced four days of mourning with heads of state, citizens and others able to pay their respects over the coming 48 hours where they will be received by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Infantino is set to be among those but this visit seemingly won’t impact his aims of attending every World Cup game.
This is not the first time Infantino has jetted off during a tournament organised by the governing body he chairs as he also flew across the Pacific during the 2023 women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. He faced significant criticism at the time and more complaints have come his way over the last few weeks.
The controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s red card has been the main cause of that with many nations, particularly Belgium who faced the USMNT in the last-16, left angered. The co-host nation were ultimately knocked out at the stage by Belgium, who then lost to Spain in the semi-finals.