DOHA — In the speech of the press conference by opening of World the president of the FIFA, Gianni Infantinodid not evade the most thorny theme, i human rights in Qatar and in particular the exploitation of immigrant workers. Infantino counterattacked, with a heartfelt speech on the full legitimacy for Fifa to organize the tournament in the controversial Arab country: “Today I have good sensations. I feel Qatari, African, Arab, migrant, gay. I am a son of migrant workers. I my parents worked very hard and in difficult conditions. I remember how immigrants were treated at the borders, when they wanted medical treatment. When I became president of Fifa, I wanted to see the accommodation of foreign workers here and I went back to my childhood. But just as Switzerland gradually became an example of integration, so it will be for Qatar”.
Infantino: “Proud of Fifa, I know what it means to be the son of migrants”
Infantino returned to his personal story as a child, the son of Italian emigrants, who had met at the Briga station, where they both worked, as he told Republic in an interview before his election as president in 2016: “Of course I’m not Qatari, Arab, migrant, gay, disabled. But I know what it means to be discriminated against, I know what it means to be a foreigner in a foreign country. From I was bullied as a child because I had red hair, because I was Italian and didn’t speak German well. But you accept the challenge, you try to make friends, new contacts, you don’t respond to insults with insults. Oggo I’m proud of Fifa, of this brand on the jacket, of this World Cup, which will be a beautiful event, the most beautiful there has ever been”.
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Infantino: “Legal workers in Qatar”
The claim of Fifa’s commitment on the issue of rights was the most delicate part of the speech: “I came here six years ago and I began to deal with the problems of workers, starting with the allocation of compensation for accidents at work”. Infantino defended the role of the Qatari government, underlining the inconsistencies in the policies of European countries on the immigration front: “If we take two steps back, Qatar offers opportunities to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and does so legally. We in Europe let’s close the borders, let’s create illegal foreigners: 26,000 people have died trying to come to Europe. Europe should do like Qatar, create legal conditions for foreign workers. Of course, reforms need time, years and years . But whoever is here in Qatar, as a foreign worker, is so legally and has all the assistance, including health care. In Qatar everyone is welcome, regardless of religion or sexual orientation. The World Cup is an extraordinary opportunity to get closer the Western world to the Arab world We have a different history, we come from different cultures, but we are part of the same world.
Infantino: “Europe that gives lessons should apologize for 3,000 years”
On homosexual people in Qatar, Fifa’s number one assured that “they will be welcomed without discrimination, despite the laws that criminalize sexual relations between people of the same sex. For what we Europeans have done in the last 3,000 years we should apologize for the next 3,000 years, before giving moral lessons to others. These moral lessons are just hypocrisy.”
Infantino: “Thanks to Fifa, Jews and Palestinians on the same flight”
The unifying force of football is the knot, according to the Fifa number one: “Last year, when the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and the Americans left the country, with the help of Qatar we managed to save 160 people, welcomed by Qatar. And while many European and American countries closed their doors, Albania opened them. Furthermore, for the first time in history, eleven thousand people flew from Israel to Doha, Jews and Palestinians on the same planes”. .
Infantino: “You can go three hours without drinking beer”
On the alcohol issue the decision, underlines Infantino, was shared: “Partnership with Budweiser will continue. All decisions were made in agreement with the Qatari government. Even in Europe, alcohol cannot be bought in stadiums. I think that going three hours without drinking beer isn’t a great sacrifice, right?” Infantino then appeals to the media to limit the criticism: “Do you want to continue to divide? We defend human rights, we have achieved great results, for example also for women in Sudan. There are so many challenges going on. We have to welcome everyone: gays are welcome, we have to discuss this. And every country must have the same chances of development”.
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Infantino: “Terrible situation in Iran, but Fifa is not the UN”
Ongoing conflicts hover over the tournament: “The situation is dire in Iranwe don’t ignore it. I have been to Iran several times and after years of discussions we managed to get women into stadiums. They are small signs. FIFA is not the UN, but let’s not forget anything”. Infantino recently assumed an almost official parapolitical role, participating in the G20: “I was in Bali and I repeated my appeal for peace, for a humanitarian corridor between Russia and Ukraine. If there is a chance for peace, even if it were 0.001 per cent, we have to carry it forward”. As for the legacy of this World Cup, Infantino considers it natural: “It will be in the infrastructure, of course, but it will also be cultural, as I said , and on the conditions of the workers, which will improve more and more”.
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Infantino: “The best show ever in Qatar”
The next World Cup, Usa-Mexico-Canada 2026, will feature 48 teams, this is the last one at 32: “All the teams are in the same place for the first time, they will travel by bus, they won’t get tired of traveling even at night between one match and another. And it’s played in November, not at the end of the season. It will technically be a great show. The 48-man tournament will be an opportunity for more teams, more people.” The former president of the BlatterInfantino’s predecessor admitted that assigning the World Cup to Qatar was a mistake: “I wasn’t there at the time. But in the meantime there have been great changes, we are very clear on the importance of human rights. 5 billion people will watch us and I feel like sending this message to them: you will see the most beautiful show ever”. Infantino wanted to dispel any doubts about his stable presence in Doha in recent months: “I live in Europe, I live in Switzerland, not in Qatar. I travel a lot, I feel like a citizen of the world. However, since I am European, my my personal life is proof of my multiculturalism, I will live in Switzerland and continue to travel the world”.
The coming out at the end of the conference
At the end of Infantino’s press conference Bryan Swansoncommunication director of Fifa (a body that criticized a lot when he worked at Sky Sports in Britain), came out. “I am sitting here, in a privileged position, on a global stage, as a gay man here in Qatar. We have received reassurances that everyone will be welcome at this World Cup. Just because Infantino isn’t gay, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about the gay. They do care. We are an inclusive organisation. I have a number of gay colleagues and I tell you there will be respect for all.”
