All posts tagged: Infantino

FIFA World Cup draw: As Donald Trump-Gianni Infantino bromance deepens, the US president may finally get a peace prize | Football News

FIFA World Cup draw: As Donald Trump-Gianni Infantino bromance deepens, the US president may finally get a peace prize | Football News

Published by Webster

Like a hymn, Village People’s YMCA will thrum in the concert hall of the Kennedy Centre where the FIFA World Cup draw will take place on Friday evening. Once looked upon as a gay anthem, it’s the ubiquitous soundtrack of the American president Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ rallies. The blind Italian vocalist Andrea Bocelli would render one of his operatic arias; Robbie Williams would croon an old love-sick melody; Heidi Klum would rev up the glam quotient. An audience of two hundred million will hold their breath to learn their team’s fate and fortunes. Amidst all these, one man could walk away with the prize and glory. FIFA would award a peace prize, “to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace.” These are the words of FIFA supremo Giovanni Infantino. Connect the all-too-evident dots. The apostle of world peace could be Trump. The Nobel Academy denied him, much to his wrath. Infantino, his good friend for years, sympathises with …

Ronaldo’s White House selfie featuring Elon Musk, Gianni Infantino goes viral: ‘Trillion dollars in one pic’

Ronaldo’s White House selfie featuring Elon Musk, Gianni Infantino goes viral: ‘Trillion dollars in one pic’

Published by Parlour News

A selfie clicked by football icon Cristiano Ronaldo inside the White House has taken the internet by storm, thanks to its rare gathering of some of the world’s most powerful, wealthy and influential people in a single frame. South African entrepreneur David Sacks shared the selfie on X, with the caption, “Great night!”(X/@DavidSacks) Ronaldo was among the high-profile guests invited to the White House on Tuesday evening (US time) for US President Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner honouring Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The event drew global leaders, from tech moguls and top executives to sports stars. Following the event, South African entrepreneur David Sacks shared the now-viral selfie on X, with the caption, “Great night!” In the picture, Ronaldo is seen alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick and his wife Allison, as well as Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez. The combination of sports royalty, Silicon Valley powerhouses and billionaires quickly sent social media into a frenzy. Take a look below: Netizens compare it to the ‘Oscars selfie’ …

ICC Chairman Jay Shah Meets FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino

ICC Chairman Jay Shah Meets FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino

Published by Webster

Jay Shah with FIFA president Gianni Infantino© X (Twitter) ICC chairman Jay Shah recently met FIFA president Gianni Infantino during the 144th IOC Session at Costa Navarino in Greece. Infantino, who heads football’s world global governing body, posted about the meeting on Instagram. “It was my pleasure to meet ICC Chair and a fantastic administrator Jay Shah! Having visited India, including during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, I’am aware of the incredible passion the people there have for cricket and the outstanding work Jay Shah has done to further grow the game,” Infantino wrote. “I wish you the very best in your mission and look forward to working together and collaborating to make cricket even more global.” In January, Shah, the former BCCI secretary, met with outgoing IOC president Thomas Bach in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss key initiatives for cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympics and beyond, focusing on collaboration and promoting Olympic values. Kirsty Coventry will succeed Bach, whose 12-year tenure will officially end on June 23. (Except for the …

When FIFA President Gianni Infantino Met “Global Movie Star” Shah Rukh Khan

Published by Parlour News

Gianni Infantino with SRK. (courtesy: gianni_infantino) New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan attended the AFC Asian Cup Final in Qatar as a Special Guest of Honor on February 10. Initially, images and videos were shared by several fans in which the actor was seen interacting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Now, Infantino has shared an image with SRK, who he has referred to as a “global movie star”. Sharing the picture, Infantino said, “It was my great pleasure to meet with global movie star Shah Rukh Khan, in Doha during the AFC Asian Cup final. @iamsrk I was very happy to learn about your passion for sports, in particular our beautiful game. Good luck with your upcoming projects and I look forward to meeting you again soon at a FIFA event.” In the image, while Infantino is dressed in a suit, SRK has opted for a more casual look including a button-down shirt and a jacket. Check out the photo here: In another picture from the event shared by a fan page a few days ago, …

FIFA president Gianni Infantino praises Shah Rukh Khan`s passion for sports

Published by Webster

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan recently visited Doha, Qatar as guest of honour for AFC Asian Cup Final. At the game, he met the country`s Prime Minister HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. He was also seen interacting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the event.  On Tuesday, Gianni took to his Instagram handle to share a picture with superstar Shah Rukh Khan and spoke in brief about their interaction. He praised the actor`s knowledge of sports, particularly football.  In the picture, Gianni can be seen in a back suit  while Khan is dressed in a semi-formal outfit in colours of blue and grey. “It was my great pleasure to meet with global movie star, 🇮🇳 Shah Rukh Khan, in 🇶🇦 Doha during the AFC Asian Cup final,” Infantino wrote sharing the picture.  He added, “@iamsrk I was very happy to learn about your passion for sports, in particular our beautiful game. Good luck with your upcoming projects and I look forward to meeting you again soon at a FIFA event”.  Gianni Infantino …

FIFA’s Infantino Condemns ‘Abhorrent’ Racism During Games In Italy, England

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for worldwide stadium bans for fans and “automatic forfeits” for teams whose supporters hurl “abhorrent” abuse following racist incidents in Italy and England on Saturday. The head of the world governing body said there was no place for discrimination of any kind in football or broader society.”The events that took place in Udine and Sheffield on Saturday are totally abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement. “The players affected by Saturday’s events have my undivided support.”  Fans aimed monkey chants at AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan during Milan’s dramatic 3-2 win at Udinese, with the game temporarily halted. Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer accused Sheffield Wednesday fans of doing the same towards him during their English Championship clash, which his team won 2-1. “We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action, starting with education in schools so that future generations understand that this is not part of football or society,” Infantino said.  “As well as the three-step process (match stopped, match re-stopped, match abandoned), …

FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino In Pele Wake Selfie Row

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Gianni Infantino with the son of Pele, Edinho.© AFP FIFA chief Gianni Infantino insisted Wednesday he would never be disrespectful to Pele as he came under fire over a photo call at the Brazilian legend’s wake. Infantino took a selfie with some of Pele’s old teammates on Monday right beside the open coffin of the three-time World Cup winner. The Swiss said he took the photo as Pele’s friends seemed unable to operate their mobile phones. “I took the phone of one of them and took the photo of all of us for him,” Infantino insisted. “If being helpful to a teammate of Pele creates criticism I’m happy to take it and will continue to be helpful wherever I can to those having contributed to write legendary pages of football. “I have so much respect and admiration for Pele and for that ceremony yesterday that I would never do anything that would be disrespectful in any way whatsoever,” Infantino said. Brazil gave Pele a powerful send off starting with a day-long wake at the Santos …

FIFA To ‘Revisit’ Plan To Scrap Four-Team Groups: Gianni Infantino

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FIFA looks set to revise plans to introduce three-team groups for the 2026 World Cup, world football chief Gianni Infantino said on Friday. FIFA had previously indicated that the 2026 finals, which will expand to 48 teams from 32, would see countries divided into 16 groups of three during the first round. Under that format, the top two teams in each group would advance to a 32-team knockout tournament. However, FIFA president Infantino said the thrilling success of the existing first-round format at the Qatar World Cup — where teams were divided into traditional groups of four — had prompted a rethink. Several groups in Qatar went down to the wire, with qualification hanging in the balance until the final whistle. “The groups of four have been absolutely incredible until the last minute of the last match,” Infantino told a press conference in Doha. “We have to revisit or at least rediscuss the format, whether it’s 16 groups of three or 12 groups of four. This is something that will be on the agenda in the …