FIFA has reportedly seen a request for its president, Gianni Infantino, to receive a presidential-level escort during the organisation's annual congress in Vancouver this week denied. World football's governing body is heading to North America, and Infantino sought the kind of treatment typically reserved for the US President, which is only one level below arrangements for the Pope and higher than that for Canada's own Prime Minister, Mark Carney.
Request Denied by Vancouver Police
According to Global BC News in Vancouver, FIFA requested a level-four escort, which would have allowed Infantino's convoy to go through red traffic lights while other road users were blocked off. Vancouver police refused the request. A statement from the mayor's office said: 'Any transportation arrangements that are made will be appropriate, measured and consistent with how Vancouver safely hosts major international events.'
Security Costs Under Scrutiny
The cost of security in Vancouver, one of the host cities for this summer's World Cup, has already been flagged by politicians, who have criticised FIFA. Ministers are declining to confirm the budget, which some news outlets have placed around the £325 million mark. Emily Lowan, leader of the Green Party of British Columbia, criticised the 'ballooning costs of security, the human rights violations, the hospital overruns' and told CTV News: 'I think FIFA is a test to our government at all levels.'
Canada's World Cup Matches
All three of Canada's World Cup group games will be played on home soil, with Toronto hosting their clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vancouver will host matches against Switzerland and Qatar. Germany are among the biggest nations to play in Canada, facing the Ivory Coast in Toronto. Canada has also secured one knockout game, a round of 16 clash.
Previous Similar Request in New Zealand
This is not the first time FIFA has made such an audacious request. In 2023, they asked that Infantino be given a police motorcade while visiting New Zealand during the Women's World Cup, but that was also turned down by police. New Zealand reserves motorcades for heads of state and some foreign dignitaries. In a statement, the national police force said: 'New Zealand police received a request' for a police escort but that it 'was declined after assessing it against standard operating procedures.'
