FIFA president Gianni Infantino asked for a police escort to and from the matches of the Women’s World Cup, but the police repeatedly rejected him
Police in three Australian states have reportedly rejected FIFA’s request to escort Gianni Infantino during the Women’s World Cup.
According to The protectorInfantino asked New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland police to be escorted to and from matches.
New South Wales Police offered to provide a single vehicle that would track Infantino’s ‘movements on the road on match days only’, but insisted that FIFA would have to pay for the service.
The request for an escort, meanwhile, was rejected by both Queensland and Victoria police.
“Queensland Police have received a request to provide Mr Infantino with a police escort during his visit to Brisbane for the 2023 Women’s World Cup,” a spokesman for the former said.
“The request for a police escort was rejected (in line with other Australian and New Zealand jurisdictions) because it would have unnecessary consequences for the community.”
Police in three Australian states have reportedly rejected FIFA’s request to escort Gianni Infantino during the Women’s World Cup
Victoria and Queensland Police rejected the request because police escorts are reserved for ‘internationally protected persons’
A spokesperson for Victoria Police added: ‘The request has been reviewed based on our standard operating procedures and rejected. Victoria Police motorcades and escorts are reserved for internationally protected persons.’
Meanwhile, the Australian Associated Press reported that FIFA’s request for an escort for its president had also been rejected by New Zealand police.
“New Zealand Police received a request, which was rejected after reviewing it against standard operating procedures,” a NZ Police spokesperson said.
“This is an operational matter and we will not be commenting further.”
FIFA regularly requests VIP treatment for Infantino at its tournaments, including meetings with key leaders.
It is common for FIFA to include clauses in its tournament agreements requiring host countries and cities to provide transportation and security not only for FIFA executives but also for participating teams.
Infantino said in a bizarre speech at a World Cup congress on Friday that women should “convince” men how to develop their football system and “choose the right fight.”
The FIFA boss told women that campaigning for equal pay was the ‘wrong’ fight for them, lavished praise on his own organization and attacked the media in a number of countries for not supporting the women’s game by not sending journalists to this tournament.
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