Gianni Infantino Qatar Switzerland Italy Doha Iran Football FIFA cup Gianni Infantino Qatar Switzerland Italy Doha Iran

FIFA chief accuses critics of Qatar of hypocrisy ahead of World Cup

channelnewsasia.com

AL RAYYAN, Qatar: FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused critics of World Cup host Qatar's treatment of migrant workers of hypocrisy on Saturday (Nov 19), adding that engagement was the only way to improve human rights.In lengthy, and sometimes angry, opening remarks at a news conference on the eve of the start of the tournament, Infantino rounded on European critics of the host nation over the issues of migrant workers and LGBT rights."I am European.

For what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons," he said."I have difficulties understanding the criticism.

We have to invest in helping these people, in education and to give them a better future and more hope. We should all educate ourselves, many things are not perfect but reform and change takes time."This one-sided moral lesson is just hypocrisy," he said."It is not easy to take the criticism of a decision that was made 12 years ago.

Doha is ready, Qatar is ready and of course, it will be the best World Cup ever."Infantino drew on his own experience as the child of migrant workers growing up in Switzerland, saying he had been bullied for being Italian and for having red hair and freckles."I know what it feels to be discriminated (against), I know what it's like to be bullied," he said."What do you do?

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DOHA: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hailed the group stage of the Qatar World Cup as the “best ever” and said the number of upsets and geographic breadth of the teams progressing indicated that football was becoming ever more global. Former champions Argentina, Spain, Germany and Brazil all suffered shock group-stage losses and Africa, Asia and North America were represented in the last 16 along with traditional powerhouses South America and Europe. Infantino said the matches — “played in beautiful stadiums” — had already attracted a TV audience in excess of two billion viewers.
DOHA : FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hailed the group stage of the Qatar World Cup as the "best ever" and said the number of upsets and geographic breadth of the teams progressing indicated that football was becoming ever more global.
The group stage at the World Cup in Qatar has been hailed as the “best ever” by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

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