Afghan boxer accused of killing aid worker whose body was found in suitcase appears in Greek court; Uefa says Fifa's backing of Infantino 'changes nothing'

A 26-year-old Afghan man appeared in a Greek court on Thursday, facing charges of intentional homicide, robbery, and firearms offenses in connection with the death of Elisabeth Ross, a 38-year-old Scottish aid worker. Her body was discovered in a suitcase on July 18 in Athens.¹²³⁷

The suspect, who cannot be named under Greek law, denies the charges, claiming he found Ross dead in her bathroom and panicked. George Kalliakmanis, head of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica, stated, “In his first testimony he denies killing the woman. He said he found her dead in the bathroom. And then panicked and decided to remove the body.”

Police identified the suspect through CCTV footage showing him wheeling a large suitcase near the site. He was arrested on Sunday and has admitted to using Ross's bank card to withdraw around €10,000 ($11,500). Investigators are also looking into whether he knew Ross through their mutual work supporting refugees, as he and his wife founded an NGO in 2023.⁶

Meanwhile, UEFA has expressed its discontent with FIFA's support for president Gianni Infantino, stating that it “changes nothing.” UEFA's statement emphasized that its conditions for confidence in Infantino have not been met, despite FIFA acknowledging mistakes regarding the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposals.⁴⁹

The English FA has also withdrawn its support for Infantino, reacting to plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which UEFA condemned as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.”