FIFA president Gianni Infantino launched an astonishing attack on his, Fifa’s and Qatar’s critics in a hard-hitting, hour-long speech.
World football’s beleaguered supremo challenged “hypocritical” countries across Europe to contribute to a World Cup legacy fund to support migrant workers after the tournament ends next month.
He also announced “a dedicated International Labour Organisation Office in Doha…where migrant workers can go, unions can be integrated and seek assistance.”
But turning on his critics in a one-hour monologue, he said: “I think for what we Europeans have been doing in the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.
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"Today I feel Qatari, Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker.
“Of course I am not Qatari. Of course I am not an Arab. I am not African. I am not gay. I am not disabled. t I feel like it because I know what it means to be discriminated against, 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.
“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.”
Infantino also called on European nations to improve their own record on migrant workers before attacking Qatar and Fifa.
“If Europe would really care about the destiny of these young people, Europe could do as Qatar did, create some legal channels where at least a number, a percentage of these workers could come.
“Lower revenues…give them some hope, give them some future. This means we shouldn’t point to what doesn’t work. Here in Qatar as well there are some things that don’t work. That needs to be addressed. The moral less giving, one sided, it’s just hypocrisy.
‘We need to give hope to Africans so that they don’t need to cross the Mediterranean in order to find, maybe, a better life but more probably death in the sea.
“We need to give opportunity and we need to give dignity, not by giving charity but by allowing the rest of the world to participate.”
Pressed on the issue of homosexuality being illegal in Qatar, Infantino insisted that he and the organisaers “guarantee” the safety of gay fans.
He said: “They’ve (the Qatari organizers) confirmed and I can confirm that everyone here is welcome. 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.”
Infantino maintained that he addressed the issue of migrant workers - around 6,500 are said to have died in Qatar since building work began - when he arrived three years ago.
“I came here three years ago and addressed the matter of migrant workers straight on, from my very first meeting.
“We will be back [after the World Cup]. We will be here to check. Because you will be gone. “Compensation for workers who are not paid exists - at very significant amounts. Fifa has a legal fund for this World Cup. The amount will be decided after the tournament.
“It will be a percentage of the revenues. But since so many people around the world have been speaking out on these topics, for the first time Fifa is opening its legacy fund to anyone who wants to invest in it. Anyone who wants to invest, shall invest.They can be part of a board that decides where the money should go.”
Infantino's press conference comes with The Football Association understood to have indicated its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president next year, but on a number of conditions.
In the short term, the FA is keeping pressure on FIFA to contribute to the establishment of a support centre and compensation scheme for migrant workers in Qatar. Longer term, the PA news agency understands FA support for Infantino is conditional on no new threats being posed in the revised international calendar.
Earlier this year, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham stated the governing body’s opposition to the introduction of biennial World Cups in the men’s or women’s game, and any future moves could weaken the FA’s support for Infantino.
The FA also wants to see stricter human rights criteria applied to future bids, amid reports Saudi Arabia is interested in co-hosting the 2030 finals.
The FA, along with the three other British associations and Ireland’s, switched focus away from hosting those finals to concentrate on Euro 2028, identifying “many areas of uncertainty” in the FIFA bidding process.
Infantino is set to be reappointed by acclamation next year, with no other candidate standing against him. The German FA announced earlier this week it would not support Infantino’s bid for re-election, citing FIFA’s handling of human rights issues in Qatar and its failure to take a stand on Iran.
