Greek air force jet crashes at annual aerial show, starts fire

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek air force jet crashed at an aerial show north of Athens, starting a fire that sent large plumes of black smoke into the air in front of several thousand spectators on Saturday.

There were no injuries among the attendees following the crash of the twin-seat Phantom F4 jet that occurred during a low-altitude maneuver.

Air force officials in Greece made no immediate comment on the status of the two airmen, noting that rescue crews were hampered by the fire on the grounds of Tanagra air force base, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) north of Athens.

Eleven water-dropping planes and helicopters assisted 85 firefighters in an effort to contain the blaze, which remained at some distance from the viewing area at Athens Flying Week, an annual air show.

Spectators watch as smoke rises after a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed, during the Athens Flying Week airshow at Tanagra Air Force Base, north of Athens, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Kallista Allaway)

Smoke rises after a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed, during the Athens Flying Week airshow at Tanagra Air Force Base, north of Athens, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Kallista Allaway)

Smoke rises after a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed, during the Athens Flying Week airshow at Tanagra Air Force Base, north of Athens, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo)

Spectators watch as smoke rises after a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed, during the Athens Flying Week airshow at Tanagra Air Force Base, north of Athens, Greece, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Kallista Allaway)

KATOWICE, Poland (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino has arrived at the opening of the Under-20 Women's World Cup as he faces continuing pressure since abandoning his plan to sell off World Cup profits.

Infantino was seen in the stands speaking with Polish soccer federation president Cezary Kulesza as host nation Poland faced Argentina on the opening day of the tournament Saturday.

Infantino had mostly kept out of the spotlight in the weeks since his World Cup sell-off plan fell apart amid opposition from many FIFA member nations and some of his own officials.

The European nations — a quarter of the 24-team field — backed down on a boycott threat last week, citing assurances from FIFA that the plan would not be revived.

Legal action over the original attempt rumbles on and Europe has a leading role in efforts to oust Infantino ahead of next year's FIFA election.

A court filing by FIFA on Thursday accused UEFA of running a “smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership" as the European soccer body seeks discovery of evidence related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan.

Infantino infuriated soccer leaders worldwide in July, shortly after the World Cup ended, when his plan for a $20 billion subsidiary controlling FIFA commercial rights including the World Cup was revealed by British daily The Times.

The spinoff was to be 20% owned by investors led by a New York fund created by Joshua Kushner, whose initial money was to pay offers of $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 member federations. They were given a mid-September deadline to accept.

The FIFA president dropped his proposal within four days. UEFA had support from the Asian Football Confederation and North American soccer body CONCACAF, and there was criticism of the plan and of Infantino from senior FIFA officials.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives to attend the opening game of the Women's U20 World Cup opening match between Poland and Argentina in Katowice, Poland, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the opening game of the Women's U20 World Cup opening match between Poland and Argentina in Katowice, Poland, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrives to attend the opening game of the Women's U20 World Cup opening match between Poland and Argentina in Katowice, Poland, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)