When Gianni Infantino began in a long press conference this Saturday morning in the Qatari capital, Doha, the clock showed that there was one day and seven hours left for the start of the soccer world cup, however, the president of FIFA , made it clear at the beginning that it would not be about the sport that he would talk about.

He said he’s been quiet these past few months “working behind the scenes and watching what’s going on” and trying to do the best he can. But on the eve of the start of the World Cup, he considered it important “to talk about some, if not all, of the issues that have been put on the table, rightly or wrongly, in recent months,” Infantino said. “So let’s look at that and then hopefully we’ll also talk a bit about football if you’re not too tired.”

Personal experience. Discriminated against for being the son of a foreigner and having red hair

He chose to start by sharing his personal story. “I am the son of migrant workers. My parents worked hard in very difficult conditions. Not in Qatar, in Switzerland. I remember it very well, I am not 150 years old and I am not talking about apartheid in South Africa. “He was referring to the places and conditions in which immigrants lived in the European country and“ the rights they had, or did not have ”.

As a child, he remembers what happened to emigrants at the borders when they wanted to enter a country to work. So when he first went to Qatar after being elected FIFA president, he went to see some of these workers in the country and says the experience took him back to his childhood. At the time, he told people in Qatar that things were not right and “something had to be done about it.” And then he concluded: “Just as Switzerland today has become an example of inclusion, of tolerance, of nationalities working together, with rights, Qatar has also advanced.”

Infantino said he knows what it’s like to be discriminated against and harassed, “like a foreigner in a foreign country, like a kid at school,” adding that two of the reasons for the discrimination he felt were his red hair and freckles.

For the FIFA president, as before, the solution now is not to make accusations, fights or insults, but to get involved and declare that “this is what we should be doing”.

The critique of European “morality”

In the nearly hour-long conference, Gianni Infantino began by saying that “today” he has “strong feelings.” “Today I feel Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled, migrant worker,” he declared, highlighting the negative actions of Europeans “three thousand years ago” and accusing Europe of not really caring about the people living in Qatar.

“I am European. Given what we’ve been doing for three thousand years around the world, we should apologize for the next three thousand years before giving moral lessons. If Europe really cared about the fate of these people, it would create legal channels, as Qatar did, so that a certain number of these workers could go to work in Europe. [Para que fosse possível] give them some future, some hope,” he said, quoted by the BBC.

Infantino also said that it is difficult for him to understand the criticism that has been leveled at him, insisting that it is necessary to “invest to help these people” and give them a better education and a better future and hope. “We should educate ourselves. Many things are not perfect, but reform and change take time,” he said, wondering “why is no one recognizing the progress that has been made”. “These one-sided moral lessons are just hypocrisy.”

When he visited Qatar six years ago, he drew attention to the migrant issue at his first meeting in the country. He then asked how many “Western companies that earn millions from Qatar, or from another country in the region” did, to answer himself: “None. Because when the legislation is changed it means less profit. But we did it,” he said, concluding that FIFA benefits much less from Qatar.

Human rights and the right to drink inside the stadiums

After an hour of monologue, the FIFA president agreed to answer questions from the journalists present and they addressed two of the issues that have been causing the most controversy, the rights of homosexuals in Qatar and the recent decision to “remove the points beer sales.” throughout the perimeter of the stadiums”, as reported by FIFA this Friday.

Infantino said that homosexuals are welcome in Qatar. “We have to get involved, and we have to explain and I think provocation is the wrong way to go. I could be right or I could be wrong.” He said that in Europe, homosexuals were also persecuted, but there was “a process.” And he continued: “It should not be taken for granted that a country that did not have the same development opportunity due to the climate, for example, that we had in Europe, went through the same experiences that we went through. ”

As for the ban on selling alcohol outside the stadiums, the FIFA president said: “If that’s the biggest problem we have, not selling alcohol inside the stadiums, I’m going to say goodbye right away and go to the beach.” . He also claims that all decisions are joint between Qatar and FIFA and that if people are asked not to drink for three hours a day, they will survive.

The championship that starts this Sunday

The decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was made by FIFA in 2010, before Infantino became president. And he said this Saturday that “it is not easy to read criticism every day about decisions that were made 12 years ago.”

The FIFA president also defended that “Qatar is ready” to host the competition, which starts this Sunday. “It will be the best World Championship in history. I don’t have to defend Qatar, they can defend themselves. I defend soccer.”

Infantino, who was speaking to some 400 journalists, grabbed a soccer ball in front of him, on top of the conference table, and said: “You know the magic of soccer better than I do. Once this ball starts rolling, people will focus on it, because that’s what they want.” He also said that he would applaud and thank the approximately 100,000 people who are working for this event.

The 2022 World Cup will be historic as it is the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East. However, holding the event in Qatar has raised several human rights issues in the country, namely discrimination against the LGBTQI+ community. Several international organizations are still talking about the deaths of several thousand workers during construction work and preparation for the soccer competition. Qatari authorities deny the allegations.