The President of the International Football Federation, Gianni Infantino, a day before the opening of the World Cup, attacked the continental lobby, accusing "advanced" Europe of hypocrisy for unfounded criticism of Qatar on the issue of the rights of labor migrants.
“I think that for what we Europeans have been doing for the last three thousand years, we should apologize for the next three thousand years before we start giving people moral lessons.
Today I feel like a Qatari. Today I feel like an Arab. Today I feel like an African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker.
Of course, I am not Qatari, not Arab, not African, not gay, not disabled. But I feel that way because I know what it's like to be discriminated against, 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.
If Europe really cared about the fate of these young people, then Europe could do what Qatar did: create some legal channels through which a certain percentage of these workers could come. Give them some hope, some future. This one-sided moral lesson is just hypocrisy.
As for the safety of sexual minorities, the organizers confirmed and I can confirm that everyone is welcome here. If a person says otherwise, it is not the opinion of the country - and certainly not the opinion of FIFA. Everyone's safety is guaranteed at the highest level in the country. This is the guarantee that we have given and are giving, ”the Daily Mail quoted Infantino as saying.
FIFA Director of Public Relations Brian Swanson was so imbued with the boss's fiery speech that he immediately came out at the organization's traditional pre-launch press conference, confessing to being gay.
“I have faced a lot of LGBT criticism of Infantino since I joined FIFA. Being here in Qatar and using this platform, I would like to announce that I am gay.
FIFA has received security guarantees from Qatar for members of the LGBT community. I believe that absolutely everyone will be welcome at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Just because Infantino is not gay doesn't mean he doesn't care about us.
You see only the public part of FIFA, and I know the work of the organization from the inside. I can say with confidence that FIFA cares about every person. We have a large number of gays in our organization.”
You know, after such revelations, it becomes not up to football and there is a feeling of fear for the Russian delegation, which for some reason flew to Qatar.
And further. Or maybe it's for the best that the Russian team was not allowed to qualify for the World Cup? Let themselves there, kiss after each goal and arrange a bunch of small things, celebrating the victory.
We don't need this kind of football!
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