The president of football's leading body has hit back at criticisms of the upcoming Qatar World Cup, saying Europeans should 'be apologising' before condemning Qatar.
Addressing crowds today, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he 'knows what it means to be discriminated [against]' and warned 'Europeans' against bashing Qatar ahead of the tournament's opening game tomorrow (Sunday November 20).
It comes after FIFA and Qatar have come under intense scrutiny for the country's treatment of migrant workers and the LGBTQ+ community. Infantino defended the governing body's decision to hold the finals in Qatar in an extraordinary monologue where he told spectators: "“Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker."
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Infantino said: “We have told many, many lessons from some Europeans, from the western world.
“I think for what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”
Infantino added: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arabic. 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, 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.
“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.”
According to the Guardian, in February 2021, 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar since it won its World Cup bid.
The number is based on figures provided by the countries' embassies in Qatar.
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