Boasting the ” progress “ obtained according to him by FIFA in terms of human rights, the boss of world football Gianni Infantino castigated Western criticism of the Qatari World Cup, on the eve of its kick-off.
“Giving moral lessons always in the same direction is simply hypocrisy”estimated this November 19 the president of FIFA, the Italian-Swiss Gianni Infantino, on the eve of the opening match of the 2022 World Cup, which will oppose Qatar and Ecuador.
After months of silence on the multiple controversies concerning the tournament, the 50-year-old was rather offensive in front of the press. As AFP reports, Gianni Infantino delivered an hour-long monologue during which he drew extensively on his personal history to affirm his ” to feel ” at a time « qatari », « Arab”, “African”, “gay”, “disabled” and even “immigrant worker”.
While multiple media and NGOs have documented the grueling working conditions on World Cup sites, Gianni Infantino has thus assured “know what it is to be discriminated against”in particular because he himself had “been bullied at school” as’“red-haired, curly child with freckles who spoke bad German”.
“And when I first came to Doha, I went to see some of these migrant accommodations and it took me back to my childhood. I said to the Qataris: ‘It’s not right, something has to be done about it’”he said.
The boss of FIFA puts working conditions in Qatar into perspective by evoking the migrants who die to reach Europe
The FIFA boss, on the other hand, mentioned “progress” obtained in recent years for workers in Qatar, such as the minimum wage of around 280 euros per month, the abolition of the sponsorship system which prevented employees from leaving the country or compensation for unpaid wages and accidents .
“Among the Western companies present here, how many are concerned about the rights of migrant workers? None. Because a change in legislation means less profit. But we did it”argued the leader.
More broadly, he judged “deeply unjust” the criticisms addressed to Qatar, considering that“at least the country had created legal channels” for foreign workers to come and earn a living, when “very few survive” trying to reach Europe.
“For what we Europeans have done for the past 3,000 years, we should apologize for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons to others “, he still proclaimed.
Finally, he mentioned the articles published in several countries, Spain, England, France, describing as « faux supporters » South Asian fans showing their support for teams taking part in the World Cup. “It’s pure racism. Everyone in the world has the right to encourage whoever they want.he commented.
As for the volte-face of the Qatari authorities who suddenly banned the sale of alcohol near the stadiums on November 18, it was brushed aside by the FIFA boss: “I personally think you can survive without beer for three hours. And in fact, the same rules apply in France, Spain and Scotland. »