Vancouver police denied a motorcade request for FIFA Infantino

TORONTO — A request to provide a police escort to FIFA President Gianni Infantino while in Vancouver, British Columbia for a FIFA meeting has been denied, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed Wednesday.

“Official motorcades where traffic is stopped are reserved for heads of state,” Deputy Chief Don Chapman said in a statement.

“Since the FIFA Executive does not meet the Internationally Protected Person (IPP) criteria that would warrant such an escort (blocking roads, intersections, not complying with traffic devices, etc.), the request was denied,” Chapman said.

FIFA did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Soccer’s governing body is meeting this week in Vancouver, one of 16 sites for World Cup matches in a tournament co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

A meeting of the FIFA Congress, representatives of all its members, is scheduled for Thursday

There has already been a move from FIFA this week, with changes to suspension rules for picking up yellow cards at the World Cup, securing additional prize money for World Cup teams and qualifying the exiled Afghan women’s team to return to international competition.

This report uses information from The Associated Press.