Infantino's Delayed Arrival Shakes Up FIFA Congress

FIFA President Gianni Infantino's belated arrival in Paraguay led to a delay of the FIFA Congress, originally scheduled for Thursday. His flight from Doha, which included a stopover in Nigeria, was still airborne when the event was set to commence in Asuncion.

Sources revealed to Reuters that attendees were informed by FIFA at around 8:00 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) that the congress would begin two hours later than planned, citing 'unforeseen reasons.' This disruption followed Infantino's Middle East tour, which included accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump on state visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Originally set to kick off at 9:30 a.m., the meeting was pre-emptively moved by an hour on Wednesday. Infantino's travel itinerary precipitated a further delay, albeit one kept under wraps until the last minute.

(With inputs from agencies.)