FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at the Semafor World Economy 2026 summit on April 15, in Washington, D.C.Alex Wong/Getty Images
The Vancouver Police Department has denied a request for FIFA’s president to get a motorcade escort during the annual general meeting of soccer’s world body this week in the city.
VPD spokesperson Constable Darren Wong said the police will not offer an escort to get Gianni Infantino from point A to B in Vancouver “as fast as possible” for the 76th FIFA Congress, which will bring together hundreds of representatives this week, with an official conference on Thursday.
Vancouver is one of 16 cities, also including Toronto, that is hosting the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19.
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Police motorcades require intersection closures and are only approved for visiting heads of state, Const. Wong said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “At this point, a FIFA executive does not meet that standard.”
FIFA acknowledged the VIP request, but sent The Globe and Mail an unattributed statement saying its president was unaware of and uninvolved in his security and transportation planning. The statement added that Canadian World Cup organizers are responsible for requesting such support from local authorities.
Mayor Ken Sim backed up VPD’s decision in a statement, noting “any transportation arrangements that are made will be appropriate, measured, and consistent with how Vancouver safely hosts major international events.”
Stephanie Sayer, a spokesperson for Toronto Police Services, said there are no plans to provide escorts to any VIPs in that city when the first of six matches are held starting June 12. She did, however, say police will escort teams if crowds become a problem.
FIFA began holding a congress in 1904 and Thursday’s meeting is expected to bring three or more delegates from each of the 211 member nations, media and staff from companies that have paid to advertise at the tournament. The event this week, which also includes a host of other football-related festivities, will see the organization choose the hosts of the 2031 and 2035 Women’s World Cups.
FIFA’s demands on the North American host cities have drawn much public scrutiny, including in Canada where no information on security costs has been released yet.
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Earlier this month, British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was growing frustrated with Ottawa’s reticence to commit to a solid amount of funding for security. Mr. Eby said he could not yet provide a ballpark figure for security, which will be overseen by Vancouver’s municipal police force in co-ordination with the RCMP and Canadian border agents.
Vancouver’s estimated costs for hosting seven of the games have swelled from roughly $240-million in 2022 to $624-million, shared between all three levels of government, The Globe reported earlier this year. Toronto’s estimated cost to host six games has grown from $30-million to $45-million in 2018 to $380-million.
FIFA’s projected revenue for 2023-26 is a record US$13-billion, up from the US$10.9-billion in the initial budget approved by the FIFA Congress in 2023.
FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who grew up in Vancouver, has said about half of the revenue from the past two World Cups was profit, with more than three-quarters of the revenue going back to the member associations.
With a report from Greg Mercer in Guelph