FIFA's Infantino plans Saudi visit during President Trump's tour as soccer world gathers in Paraguay

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FIFA's Infantino plans Saudi visit during President Trump's tour as soccer world gathers in Paraguay

2025-05-09 03:59 Last Updated At：04:00

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino will go to Saudi Arabia next week during U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit while the soccer body’s 211 member federations gather at their annual Congress being held in Paraguay.

It is unprecedented in modern times for a FIFA president to skip any part of the days-long congress program, where FIFA voters in soccer’s six continental bodies caucus ahead of the main meeting often called the sport’s parliament.

“The FIFA president has accepted invitations to attend a series of important events with world leaders, where FIFA World Cups will also be discussed,” soccer’s governing body said in a statement.

Infantino also is expected to visit Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host which also is on the U.S. president's Middle East tour schedule.

Infantino's close ties to Trump during the president's first term have grown stronger in about 10 meetings together since December, including Tuesday at the White House with a task force to oversee federal plans for the 2026 World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The FIFA leader also meets regularly with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose kingdom will host the men’s World Cup in 2034. Infantino helped steer those hosting rights to Saudi Arabia in an uncontested vote last December.

Infantino is expected to return from the Middle East in time for the FIFA Congress on Thursday, the last meeting of all FIFA members before they come to the 2026 World Cup. It also is their first meeting together since before the online votes six months ago that confirmed the Saudi bid for 2034 and sent the 2030 edition to Spain, Portugal and Morocco plus single games in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

He had been due Tuesday in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion to chair an in-person meeting of FIFA’s ruling council.

It is now moved up four days for an online session Friday that clears Infantino’s schedule for the kind of geopolitical trip he has seemed to relish detailing on his Instagram account.

Infantino and FIFA have consistently said he needs to maintain good relations with the Trump administration to ensure the 48-team, six-week tournament is safe and successful. FIFA voters chose the North American bid in 2018 when it was backed by then-President Trump.

However, there were no formal meetings for Infantino with President Joe Biden during his four-year term that ended in January. They did pose for a photograph together in 2022 at a G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

Infantino has forged close political and financial ties for FIFA with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince since before the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

In Riyadh on Tuesday, when FIFA delegates are in Paraguay, Infantino is expected to attend a Saudi-U.S. investment forum where World Cup projects are on the agenda.

Saudi Arabia is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on stadiums plus huge city and transport upgrades ahead of the tournament.

Infantino attended a similar conference in Miami Beach in February, when he sat with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Elon Musk and Saudi officials. They included the kingdom’s ambassador to the U.S., Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud and the governor of its sovereign wealth fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

Soccer officials have privately expressed concern about Infantino’s increasing focus on global politics as much as the sport FIFA runs.

European soccer body UEFA said Thursday “we were informed about the (Council) meeting being rescheduled” to this week.

“However, we prefer not to comment on the reasons and suggest directing any queries to FIFA,” UEFA said.

President Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia plus Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in what was originally planned as the first overseas trip since he took office for a second time in January.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.