FIFA President Gianni Infantino abruptly canceled plans to attend a Milken Institute event in the Hamptons, New York, over the weekend, where he was scheduled to meet with U.S. senators and Wall Street figures. The cancellation occurred days after reports detailed Infantino's extensive air travel, which the publication Inside Sport linked to efforts to safeguard his position following a World Cup sell-off scandal.
Infantino's private jet, reportedly funded by Qatar, remained in Doha, his home base, instead of flying to the U.S. This development follows UEFA's filing of court papers in several U.S. states. UEFA is seeking documents it believes could support a criminal mismanagement prosecution in Switzerland concerning Infantino's alleged plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
The FIFA president's travel schedule earlier in the week also drew attention. His jet reportedly flew from Paris, where Infantino attended the Esports World Cup, to Majorca for a brief period, then to Pisa, before carrying him to Hanoi for the ASEAN Cup final. Inside Sport noted that Josh Kushner, the brother-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump and a figure implicated in the scandal, has previously vacationed in Majorca.
Qatar has been navigating a complex position, balancing support for Infantino with attempts to secure favor with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a potential 2036 Olympic Games bid. While many in the Olympic Movement are open to selling competition shares to private equity firms to generate revenue, there is widespread criticism of the lack of transparency and governance surrounding Infantino's proposal within FIFA.