MAKING A LOAD OF HOT AIR! Infantino accused of contempt as it emerges FIFA president travelled more than 60K MILES during World Cup

If you took any more than a passing interest in the World Cup this summer you will have seen Gianni Infantino. Really, you couldn't miss him; the FIFA president was almost ubiquitous.

No matter where the 104 matches were being played, the bald head of the head of football's governing body seemed to be there, shining back at you out of the TV.

In fact, Infantino managed to personally attend 44 matches between the World Cup opener on June 11 and the final between Spain and Argentina on July 19. That is more than one per day, despite the World Cup being spread across 16 cities in three countries.

Logistically speaking, it is an impressive achievement, and thanks to an agreement with the Host Broadcast Service (which is 49 per cent owned by FIFA) that meant a "dignitary shot" was mandatory in every half, his efforts were rewarded with regular airtime. The 56-year-old wanted to be front and centre of the biggest World Cup of all time and, in achieving his personal goal, he was successful, visiting every host city.

Infantino wanted to network. He wanted to rub shoulders with US President Donald Trump, with the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Yasir Al-Rumayyan, with countless world leaders and the heads of FIFA member associations in the posh seats.

His efforts helped firm up his control of FIFA, with the Guardian reporting that Infantino has the formal endorsement of more than 200 members for re-election as president. Even the scandal of Trump interfering with FIFA protocols to help US striker Folarin Balogun's red card be overturned couldn't diminish Infantino's standing.

Yet the method by which Infantino achieved all of this - plus a reported endorsement from Trump to become the next United Nations secretary general - casts a long shadow over the whole charade: a Qatar Airways-sponsored private jet.

Flight data shows that Infantino covered 106,323 km (66,066 miles) - almost three times the Earth's circumference - during the World Cup in a private Gulfstream G650, burning 1,020.3 tonnes of CO₂e in the process.

FIFA's decision to expand the tournament to 48 teams and spread it over three countries made it the most polluting World Cup in history right off the bat, with predicted emissions of nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e), almost double the historical average from previous tournaments between 2010 and 2022. The vast majority of those emissions come from air travel.

FIFA has pledged to cut green house gas emissions 50 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040, while Infantino promised to leave a "positive footprint" on North America. Campaigners believe that his actions speak louder than his words.

“As players and supporters struggled through extreme heat, Infantino’s Qatari private jet took him from VIP box to VIP box across his bloated tournament," said Frank Huisingh, founder of Fossil Free Football. "There could be no more perfect illustration for FIFA’s wilful blindness to the climate threats facing football and its fans."

Katie Cross, chief executive of sports sustainability charity Pledgeball, said: “The incredible emissions generated by Infantino’s private jet usage, against a backdrop of heat waves, wild fires and fans priced out of the World Cup, smack of a complete disregard for the longevity of the game, the players and the fans who make it.”

Andrew Simms, director of New Weather Institute, said Infantino's jet left behind "a cloud of contempt", while Freddie Daley, of the Cool Down Sport for Climate Action Network, noted that "it is further evidence that he and FIFA cannot be trusted to protect the game from a worsening climate crisis.”

Jenny Amann, a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University, has been interviewing fans about the relationship between climate change and football and has consistently heard negative reviews of the FIFA president.

"I cannot recall a single interview in which Infantino’s actions and decision-making were not criticised," she said. "Fans consistently describe his approach as absurd and hypocritical, expressing frustration at being asked to adopt more climate-friendly behaviours while international football and its leaders continue to operate in a way that is totally detached from the broader societal crises we face.

"Infantino's travel choices at this tournament will generate emissions hundreds of times greater than the average European football fan produces in an entire year. Actions like these will do nothing to encourage fans towards more sustainable behaviours - and they suggest neither Infantino nor FIFA has any intention of leading by example.”

There is a sense of incredulity behind the scenes at FIFA at the criticism of Infantino, with the common defence being he couldn't have just watched the tournament from an office in Miami. Infantino is keen to present himself as the opposite of UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, who was criticised last summer for only attending two matches at the Women's Euros.

When asked about Infantinio's private jet usage and the environmental concerns it raised, a FIFA spokesperson said: “As we have consistently stated, FIFA has put in place rules which establish the framework for flights and travel by any FIFA official. The FIFA president routinely travels, together with relevant officials, on business and tournament-related matters and strives to visit member associations of FIFA whenever he can.