Why Gianni Infantino Left the United States on the Eve of the World Cup Semi-Finals
Why Gianni Infantino Left the United States on the Eve of the World Cup Semi-Finals
James is a Senior Editor for GIVEMESPORT with over eight years of experience in the industry.
After graduating from the University of Southampton in 2016 with a degree in history, he joined the company as an Academy member in July 2017 and, after a short time working as a freelancer, was given a full-time role in February 2018.
He primarily covers the biggest stories in the football world but is also comfortable reporting on a variety of other sports including darts, golf, Formula 1, tennis, boxing and athletics.
He has covered some massive events during his time at GIVEMESPORT, including numerous Champions League and World Cup finals, as well as the Olympics in 2020 and 2024.
The World Cup semi-finals are on the horizon, with the four highest-ranked nations in international football set to take part.
On Tuesday, France and Spain will go head-to-head at Dallas Stadium. France have been the most impressive side in the tournament and go into the match as favourites. But Spain, who beat Les Bleus at Euro 2024, are more than capable of pulling off an upset.
The second semi-final will see England take on Argentina in what could be a heated encounter in Atlanta. The Three Lions are looking to end their 60-year trophy drought, while Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, are bidding to become world champions for a fourth time.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been very active during the tournament and has attended the vast majority of matches. However, ahead of the semi-finals, it has been revealed that he has left the United States.
Why Gianni Infantino Has Left the United States on the Eve of the World Cup Semi-Finals
On Sunday, Qatar announced that their former ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, had passed away at the age of 74.
Infantino was good friends with Hamad and departed North America and crossed the Atlantic to pay his respects.
Per the Mirror, the FIFA president was in attendance for the quarter-final clash between England and Norway in Miami on Sunday. Following the match, he departed the United States on a private jet and landed in Qatar the following day.
Infantino has since taken to Instagram to pay tribute to Hamad. He wrote:
“Today, I joined my country, Qatar, to offer prayers for the man who shaped Qatar into a great nation. Today, I said my prayers and farewell to the bravest man, His Highness the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who taught me that bravery means embracing change and always moving forward. Today, I feel Qatari, and I join millions in their prayers to wish him peace and ask God to rest his soul.
“Today, I was moved to be present at Lusail Palace to offer my sincere condolences.
My heart and prayers are with His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the entire Al Thani family, and all Qatari people, as well as those like me who were mentored by the Father Emir. Rest in peace.”
The Mirror write that Infantino will return to the United States on Tuesday, although it is unclear whether he will be in attendance at Dallas Stadium to watch the game between France and Spain.
Gianni Infantino Says World Cup Could Expand to 64 Teams
“These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup. When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.
“You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”
“At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate.”
