Gianni Infantino anafanya ziara ya ajabu Amerika ya Kaskazini majira haya ya joto, akisafiri kote barani kuhudhuria mechi nyingi iwezekanavyo za FIFA World Cup 2026. Wakati mashindano yalipofika mapumziko yake ya kwanza — wiki nne baada ya mechi ya ufunguzi — rais wa FIFA alikuwa amehudhuria mechi 37 kati ya 96 zilizochezwa, sawa na asilimia 38.5 ya mechi zote.

Maili 43,000 na zaidi

Mwendo wa Infantino umefuatiliwa na chombo cha habari cha Brazili cha UOL, ambacho kinaripoti kuwa amesafiri zaidi ya maili 43,000 kwa ndege binafsi ya Gulfstream G650ER iliyotolewa na Qatar Airways, mmoja wa wadhamini rasmi wa mashindano hayo. FIFA imethibitisha kuwa inalipia gharama zake zote za usafiri.

Ndege hiyo imewekewa ofisi, na ripoti kadhaa zinasema Infantino anapendelea kulala ndani yake badala ya hotelini — jambo linalomsaidia kuchanganya usafiri, kazi, na mapumziko mahali pamoja.

Kasi imekuwa ya kuvutia. Amehudhuria wastani wa mechi 1.37 kwa siku tangu mashindano yalipoanza, na mara kadhaa ameweza kuhudhuria mechi mbili katika siku moja. Kwa mfano, tarehe 23 Juni alitazama mchezo ambao haukuwa na bao kati ya England na Ghana Boston kabla ya kuruka kaskazini hadi Toronto kwa Panama vs Croatia jioni hiyo hiyo.

Athari kubwa kwa mazingira

Usafiri huu wa mara kwa mara una gharama kubwa kwa mazingira. Kulingana na BBC, alama ya kaboni ya Infantino katika wiki mbili za kwanza za mashindano ilikuwa sawa na ile ya watu 78 wa kawaida kwa mwaka mzima.

Viwanja vyote vimetembelewa angalau mara moja

Licha ya uangalizi mkubwa, Infantino amejiwekea lengo la kuhisi upana wote wa mashindano haya yaliyopanuliwa ya timu 48. Ametembelea viwanja vyote 16 vya mwenyeji angalau mara moja, katika miji inayoanzia Miami hadi Mexico City, na Atlanta hadi Vancouver.

Siku za mechi mbili zimepita, na mechi nane zinabaki kabla ya fainali, kuna uwezekano kwamba Infantino atahudhuria mechi zote zilizobaki — ambayo ingeleta jumla yake hadi mechi 45, au asilimia 43.27 ya mechi 104 za mashindano.

Orodha kamili ya mechi zilizohudhiriwa

Mexico vs South Africa (Jun 11, Mexico City); South Korea vs Czechia (Jun 11, Guadalajara); United States vs Paraguay (Jun 12, Los Angeles); Qatar vs Switzerland (Jun 13, San Francisco); Australia vs Turkey (Jun 13, Vancouver); Belgium vs Egypt (Jun 15, Seattle); Iran vs New Zealand (Jun 15, Los Angeles); Argentina vs Algeria (Jun 16, Kansas City); Portugal vs DR Congo (Jun 17, Houston); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (Jun 18, Mexico City); Canada vs Qatar (Jun 18, Vancouver); Scotland vs Morocco (Jun 19, Boston); Brazil vs Haiti (Jun 19, Philadelphia); Netherlands vs Sweden (Jun 20, Houston); Tunisia vs Japan (Jun 20, Monterrey); Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Jun 21, Atlanta); Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Jun 21, Miami); France vs Iraq (Jun 22, Philadelphia); Norway vs Senegal (Jun 22, New York); England vs Ghana (Jun 23, Boston); Panama vs Croatia (Jun 23, Toronto); Scotland vs Brazil (Jun 24, Miami); Curaçao vs Ivory Coast (Jun 25, Philadelphia); Egypt vs Iran (Jun 26, Seattle); Colombia vs Portugal (Jun 27, Miami); South Africa vs Canada (Jun 28, Los Angeles); Brazil vs Japan (Jun 29, Houston); Netherlands vs Morocco (Jun 29, Monterrey); Ivory Coast vs Norway (Jun 30, Dallas); Mexico vs Ecuador (Jun 30, Mexico City); England vs DR Congo (Jul 1, Atlanta); United States vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (Jul 1, San Francisco); Canada vs Morocco (Jul 4, Vancouver); Paraguay vs France (Jul 4, Dallas); Brazil vs Norway (Jul 5, Houston); Mexico vs England (Jul 6, Los Angeles); Argentina vs Egypt (Jul 7, Atlanta).