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FIFA President Gianni Infantino made fiery statements at a press conference he held today, Saturday, 24 hours before the start of the 2022 World Cup.
Infantino responded to the sharp attack on Qatar by the European media.
"We have received many, many lessons from some Europeans from the Western world," said Infantino.
And he added, "I think that given what we Europeans have been doing over the past 3,000 years, we should apologize for the next 3,000 years before we start giving moral lessons to people."
He stressed, "Today I feel that I am Qatari, today I feel that I am Arab and African and that I am gay. Today I feel helpless. Today I feel like a migrant worker. Of course I am not Qatari, Arab, African, gay or disabled."
"But I feel it because I know what it means to be discriminated against and to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country when I was a child I was bullied because I have red hair and I have freckles, plus I was Italian," he explained.
And he continued, "What do you do next? You try to engage and make friends. You don't start accusing, fighting or insulting. You get involved and that's what we should do."
On accusing Qatar of causing the death of many migrant workers who contributed to the construction of the stadiums, he said: "If Europe cared about the fate of migrant workers, Europe could do as Qatar did by establishing legal channels where at least a number of these workers and a percentage of them can come to them." Of these workers, even if you give them less revenue, but give them some hope and give them some future, and this does not mean not mentioning some things that need to be addressed in Qatar.
"This moral lesson is one-sided. It is just hypocrisy. Conditions for workers in Qatar are better than conditions for immigrants in Europe," he stressed.
"I came to Qatar 3 years ago, and I dealt with the issue of migrant workers directly from my first meeting," he stressed.
He continued, asking, "How many European and Western companies make millions, if not billions, from Qatar? Who among them discussed immigrant issues with the authorities there? No one, because if you change the law, that means less profit, but we did that. FIFA got much less than many companies." over here".
Regarding the ban on consuming alcoholic beverages in stadiums, he said: "Prohibition of alcohol in stadiums? Many countries prohibit alcohol in stadiums, so there is no need for a policy of double standards."
And he continued, “Every decision taken in the 2022 World Cup is a joint decision between FIFA and Qatar, and you can drink those alcoholic beverages in the areas for the fans. I personally believe that if you do not drink alcohol for 3 hours a day, you will live. Nothing will happen, because these rules are applied in the country.” France, Spain, Portugal and Scotland, and these rules are currently in force.
And he added, "You want to criticize? Can you crucify me? I am here for that. Do not criticize anyone and do not criticize Qatar. Let people enjoy the World Cup."
"The State of Qatar welcomes everyone, regardless of their orientations, and everything is beautiful and everyone feels happy here in Qatar," Infantino said.
And he continued, "The rights to broadcast the 2022 World Cup have increased by $200 million compared to previous tournaments."
He added, "Many international institutions have approved the standards of workers' rights in Qatar, such as Europe, and there will be a permanent headquarters for workers in Qatar affiliated with the International Labor Organization."
And Infantino concluded his speech by saying, "Part of the World Cup legacy fund will be allocated to educate the children of workers in developing countries, and we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary-General of the International Labor Organization."
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