It appears no one in the Vancouver government wants a shot at the FIFA Peace Prize.
The Vancouver Police Department announced Wednesday it is rejecting a request for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to be given a police escort while he’s in Vancouver for FIFA meetings, per the Associated Press.
It turns out they only do that for heads of state, per their statement:
The VPD did, however, clarify that FIFA’s arm — in this case FWC26 Canada, the local organizers — "never requested a specific level of police motorcade for the FIFA President.”
That’s a push back on a report from The Athletic on Tuesday that claimed FIFA had specifically requested a level-four motorcade escort, which is what the U.S. president or the Pope could expect while in Vancouver.
Vancouver is one of the 16 sites planned for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off June 11 and will be held across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. FIFA is reportedly holding meetings this week in Vancouver, with its congress coming together Thursday.
Unfortunately, they will have to observe normal traffic laws:
A representative of the Toronto Police Department has also made it preemptively clear that most FIFA officials can expect the same treatment in the only other Canadian host city during the World Cup:
It’s unlikely any of this would be different if FIFA had an internationally popular president, which Infantino certainly is not. Still, he’ll be happy if this is the biggest hitch FIFA encounters over the next few months.
