FIFA president Gianni Infantino has lashed out at what he described as "hypocrisy" and "racism" from countries moralising about the Qatar World Cup and claimed Europe should be "apologising for the next 3,000 years" for past mistakes.
In an astonishing one-hour monologue that opened a Saturday news conference in Doha, Infantino, who will stand unopposed for reelection as FIFA president next March, took aim at critics of Qatar and FIFA by defending the treatment of migrant workers, saying LGBTQ+ people are welcome and insisting he is still in control of the tournament despite a last-minute stadium ban on alcohol.
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"We are told to make many lessons from some Europeans, from the Western world. I'm European. I think for what we Europeans have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.
"How many of these European companies who earn millions and millions from Qatar or other countries in the region -- billions every year -- how many of them have addressed migrant-worker rights? I have the answer: none of them because if they change the legislation it means less profits.
"If there was no gas, nobody would care. But now they all come and they all want something. Who is actually caring about the workers? FIFA does. Football does, the World Cup does and to be fair to them, Qatar does as well."
He said: "Where are we going with our way of working, guys? Where is the world going? If you go two steps back and you look at this issue of migration and their situation of hundreds of thousands of women and men who would like to offer their services, who would like to help and give a future to their families back home, Qatar is actually offering them this opportunity.
"Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, they help their families to survive. And they do it in a legal way. We in Europe, we close our borders and we don't allow practically any workers from these countries to work legally in our country. We all know there are many illegal workers in our European countries, living conditions which are also not really the best.
"Those who reach Europe, those who want to go to Europe, they have to go through a very difficult journey. Only a few survive. So if you would really care about the destiny of these people, these young people, then Europe could also do as Qatar did: create some legal channels where at least a number of these workers could come to Europe, lower revenues, but give them some work, give them some future, give them some hope.
"This doesn't mean that we shouldn't point that doesn't work here in Qatar as well. Of course, there are things that don't work and need to be addressed. But this moral lesson giving, one-sided, it is just hypocrisy."
Infantino began his extraordinary speech by declaring, "Today I have very strong feelings, 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," before claiming he understood what it meant to be discriminated against because "as a foreigner in a foreign country, as a child at school I was bullied because I had red hair and freckles."
Turning his attention to LGBTQ+ rights, Infantino repeated the Qatar Supreme Committee's insistence that everybody is welcome in the country despite the country's strict laws against homosexuality, punishable in some cases by death.
"They've confirmed that I can confirm that everyone is welcome," Infantino said. "If the odd person here or there says the opposite, it's not the opinion of the country and it's certainly not the opinion of FIFA. This a clear FIFA requirement, that everyone is to be welcome.
"Everyone who comes to Qatar is welcome, whatever religion, race, sexual orientation, belief she or he has, everyone is welcome. This was our requirement and the Qatari state sticks to that requirement.
"You will tell me: 'Yes, but there are legislations which prohibit that, or whatever, you have to go to jail.' Yes, these legislations exist. They exist in many countries in the world. These legislation existed in Switzerland when they organised the World Cup in 1954. Like for the workers, these are processes."
At the demand of Qatar's Supreme Committee, alcohol was banned in stadiums just two days before Sunday's opening match between Qatar and Ecuador despite years of promise fans would be able to buy beer at games.
Infantino insisted FIFA was still "200 percent in control" of the tournament and appeared to suggest: "If this is the biggest issue we have for the World Cup, I will sign immediately and go to the beach and relax until 18th of December.
"Let me first assure you that every decision taken at this World Cup is a joint decision between Qatar and FIFA. Every decision. It is discussed, debated and taken jointly. There will be over 200 places where you can buy alcohol in Qatar.
"Over 10 fan zones where over 100,000 can simultaneously drink alcohol. I think personally, if for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive, especially because actually the same rules apply in France or Spain or in Portugal, or in Scotland. No beer is allowed in the stadiums.
"Here it becomes a big thing because it is a Muslim country. I don't know why. We tried. It's the one I give you of course, a late change of policy. Because we tried until the end to see if it was possible. But one thing is to have plans and designs and another thing is when you start putting it in place.
Responding to Infantino's comments, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice said: "In brushing aside legitimate human rights criticisms, Gianni Infantino is dismissing the enormous price paid by migrant workers to make his flagship tournament possible -- as well as FIFA's responsibility for it. Demands for equality, dignity and compensation cannot be treated as some sort of culture war -- they are universal human rights that FIFA has committed to respect in its own statutes.
"If there is one tiny glimmer of hope, it is that Infantino announced that FIFA would establish a legacy fund after the World Cup. This cannot be mere window dressing, however. If FIFA is to salvage anything from this tournament, it must announce that it will invest a significant part of the $6 billion the organisation will make from this tournament and make sure this fund is used to compensate workers and their families directly."
In what was supposed to be a 45-minute Q&A with the media in Doha before Sunday's opening game, Infantino delivered a rambling monologue that lasted nearly an hour in which he steadfastly defended Qatar's migrant workers policy and labelled those saying there were 'paid fake fans' in Qatar as racist.
The build-up to the World Cup has been overshadowed by the treatment of LGBTQ+ people and the deaths of migrant workers, but Infantino said critics were in no position "to give moral lessons to people".
"Of course I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled. But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated, to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country. As a child I was bullied - because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian so imagine. I went in my room and I cried
"Hundreds of thousands women and men from developing countries who'd like to offer their services abroad in order to help and give a future to their families back home. Qatar is actually offering them this opportunity. They come here, earn 10 times more than what they earn in their home country.
"The world is divided enough, we are organising a World Cup, not a war," he said. "We organise a World Cup where people who have many problems want to come and enjoy. Look at the city, it's beautiful. People are happy to celebrate.
"Can somebody who looks like an Indian not cheer for England, Spain or Germany? You know what this is. This is racism, this is pure racism. We have to stop that because everyone in the world has the right to cheers for who they want."
"You do not know what it feels like to be gay, Infantino, you do not know what it feels like to be disabled, you do not know what it feels like to be African and you cannot conflate being discriminated against because of red hair and freckles to any of the groups you've referenced have experienced. You cannot negate their experience by just saying you 'feel' what they feel.
"It is an absolutely astounding address from the FIFA president and it's probably even more astounding that he is being re-elected unopposed after being able to say stuff like this. He's also taken the fact that Qatar recruits from the poorest countries in the world, millions who have nothing and bring them to do what human rights groups call modern slavery, he's saying that's OK because they get paid more than they do at home.
"If we all get stuck on what's happened before or what's going on elsewhere and we have to stay silent because of that, we'll never bring about any effective change. We'd all just never say anything ever because no country is untouched and untainted, but we're here for the World Cup and on the eve of the tournament, this is what we are getting.
Responding to Infantino's comments, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice, said: "In brushing aside legitimate human rights criticisms, Gianni Infantino is dismissing the enormous price paid by migrant workers to make his flagship tournament possible - as well as FIFA's responsibility for it.
"If FIFA is to salvage anything from this tournament, it must announce that it will invest a significant part of the $6bn the organisation will make from this tournament and make sure this fund is used to compensate workers and their families directly."
"It was a very bizarre performance from Gianni Infantino. Some of the things he was saying were absolutely ridiculous and at times it seemed like he'd almost developed a Messiah complex. The problem FIFA presidents have is they fly around the world, meet a lot of head of states and after a while they start to think and act as if they are a head of state as well. 152ee80cbc
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