On Eve Of World Cup, FIFA Boss Infantino Blasts Qatar Critics

On the eve of the World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has offered a defense of host nation Qatar, accusing Western critics of hypocrisy after a rambling, utterly jaw-dropping, at times shocking, and often political one-hour monologue.

“Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker,” opened Infantino a news conference in Doha, the Qatari capital and main host city for the global finals. But what followed was a bizare defense, reality-bending defence of the controversial tournament.

Emboldened by the prospect of re-election next year, the FIFA president lectured the global media on morality, geopolitics and soccer, taking on European critics of this World Cup, just weeks after sending a letter to the 32 finalists not to be dragged into ideological and political battles and days after jetting off to the G-20 in Indonesia.

He presented his own life as that of a migrant. Furious, Infantino took on the mantle of a victim as a foreigner in Switzerland, a bullied kid at school. Life, in his view, at FIFA was tough as well.

“As a foreigner in a foreign country,” explained Infantino. “As a child I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian so imagine. “What do you do then? You try to engage, make friends. Don’t start accusing, fighting, insulting, you start engaging. And this is what we should be doing.”

He then took the opportunity to blast Europe and its press corps, who have intensly scrutinized Qatar’s lamentable treatment of migrant workers and discrimination of the LGBT community in the build-up to the tournament. “We have been taught many lessons from Europeans and the Western world,” said Infantino. “I am European…We should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give more lessons to people.”

“How many of these European or Western business companies who earn millions from Qatar, billions, how many of them have addressed migrant workers’ rights with the authorities?

“None of them, because if you change the legislation it means less profit. But we did, and FIFA generates much less than any of these companies from Qatar.”

Infantino who said he was not defending Qatar was doing just that, delivering the host nation’s talking points. He repeated that labor reform has been substantial. The FIFA president also said that he got it from the highest authority in Qatar that everyone, including members of the LGBT community, is welcome for the World Cup.

“They’ve (the Qatari organizers) confirmed and I can confirm that everyone here is welcome,” said Infantino. “If you have a person here and there who says the opposite, it’s not the opinion of the country. It’s certainly not the opinion of FIFA.”

“This moral lesson-giving, it’s one-sided,” said Infantino. “That is just hypocrisy. I wonder why no one recognizes the progress that has been made? The kafala system was abolished… ILO acknowledged it. The media don’t, some don’t.”

He added: “Qatar offers hope [to migrant workers], they earn ten times more than at home.”

Attacking Europe, he argued that “because of European policy 25,000 migrants died – 1200 this year – died. Why did no one ask for compensation when these migrants died?”

Infantino was relentless in a 60-minute, verbal beatdown of European and western media critics, instantly becoming Qatar’s biggest supporter. Picking a fight with the European press, the backlash was immediate. Reflecting the mood, chief football writer of The Times Henry Winter tweeted: “Gianni Infantino’s mad monologue made King Lear look balanced. Either nobody close to the Fifa president questions him or gives him good advice – or he simply doesn’t listen. He’s living in a bubble, turning into Blatter, embarrassing himself and the game.”