Published on 4/30/2026
Police in Vancouver announced that FIFA President Gianni Infantino will not be accompanied by police while attending the General Assembly (FIFA Congress) on Thursday in the Canadian city, while FIFA denied making such a request.
Local media quoted Deputy Police Chief Don Chapman as saying in a statement: “Official processions in which traffic is stopped are reserved for heads of state.”
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
“Since FIFA executives do not meet the criteria of an internationally protected person, which would justify such an accompaniment, the request has been rejected,” he added.
The escort would have included closing roads and intersections as well as failing to obey traffic signals, among other things.
FIFA said early Thursday on the X platform that it had “never requested a specific level of police convoy to the FIFA President.”
He added: “The FIFA President was not aware of any requests from the authorities regarding his means of transportation and security to attend the 76th FIFA Congress, and he did not participate in them.”
FIFA held several activities in Vancouver this week, including a council meeting next Tuesday.
The annual congress brings together all union members and is held later today, Thursday.
The city of Vancouver is one of the cities hosting the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 10 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The second Canadian city to host matches in the tournament is Toronto.
The FIFA Congress is scheduled to be held today, Thursday, in Vancouver, and is of great importance as it comes approximately a month and a half before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
During the conference, in which the 211 member associations will participate, FIFA will discuss fundamental issues related to the World Cup, the most prominent of which is Iran’s participation in the tournament.
