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World Cup: Gianni Infantino "dreams" of an edition co-organized by Israel and the Emirates

2021-10-13T16:33:43.609Z


The FIFA President discussed with the Prime Minister of Israel the possibility of hosting the 2030 World Cup with other countries


Much more than a game, football is a way of bringing people together.

In any case, this is the philosophy of Gianni Infantino.

During a conference in Israel, the FIFA president launched an idea that seems crazy, utopian, to see the Jewish state co-organize the 2030 World Cup with some of its neighboring states led by the United Arab Emirates.

Information revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett via a short statement on Wednesday.

“I think co-organizing is the future and therefore why not dream about it and think about it, whether at the senior, junior, men's or women's level, because the Fifa World Cup has this unique magic of to bring people together and unite, ”said Infantino, speaking at a symposium organized by the Jerusalem Post, and recalled the“ historic agreement ”reached between the Israel Football Federation and the United Arab Emirates federation , according to a press release from Fifa.

FIFA President offers Israel to host some 2030 World Cup games: Prime Minister Bennett meets FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

https://t.co/1CtrtCQUHc ArutzSheva pic.twitter.com/nXs5iQBKPy

- Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) October 13, 2021

According to the Prime Minister's press release, Steven Mnuchin, the former US Secretary of the Treasury under Donald Trump, who became a film producer again, was present during the interview as was the US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

The Trump administration initiated what is known as the "Abrahamic Accords," which saw several Arab countries normalize their relations with Israel.

"I definitely believe in the need to have more prestigious events"

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalized their relations with Israel in 2020, under the leadership of Donald Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, architect of this strategy.

"Fifa wants to put football at the service of society, to make a real difference by making its contribution, where possible, to peace and stability in the region", according to the FIFA press release.

Read also League of Nations: "The leaders just care about their pockets", gets carried away the Belgian Thibaut Courtois

In addition, during his speech at the conference, Gianni Infantino once again defended his plan to organize a World Cup every two years. He underlined to what extent this meeting has become "a huge event and not just a sporting event", which supposes to sell 3 to 4 million tickets, to receive 1.5 to 2 million visitors and which is watched by 4 billion viewers.

“I definitely believe in the need to have more prestigious events, whether it's the World Cup or something else… It is precisely because this is a magical tournament that perhaps it should. take place more often.

The prestige of an event depends on its quality, not on its frequency.

You have the Super Bowl every year, Wimbledon or the Champions League every year, and everyone is excited, ”said Infantino, who remains deaf to the wave of opposition to this project.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-10-13

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