"For what we Europeans have done in the last 3,000 years we should apologize for at least the next 3,000 years, before giving moral lessons to other countries. These moral lessons are just pure hypocrisy".
This was stated by
Gianni Infantino
, president of Fifa, in the press conference on the eve of the opening of
the
World
Cup
in
Qatar
.
The world championship tournament has long been the subject of strong criticism for the lack of respect for human rights.
"What is happening right now is profoundly unfair," thundered Infantino, addressing reporters.
The FIFA president denounced the "moral lessons" which are only "
hypocrisy
", on the eve of the opening of the World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament has long been the subject of strong criticism.
"What is happening right now is profoundly unfair," he told reporters at the inaugural press conference.
"The criticisms of the World Cup are hypocritical".
"For what we Europeans have done in the last 3,000 years we should apologize for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons to others. These moral lessons are just hypocrisy," he said.
Infantino, said he felt "Arab", "gay", "migrant worker", during the inaugural press conference of the World Cup in Qatar, in Doha.
"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," he said in his introductory speech.
World Cup organizers in Qatar are facing fierce criticism over human rights and discrimination, particularly from the LGBTQ movement, as the start of the tournament scheduled for tomorrow approaches.
The introductory metaphor, Infantino observes, "brings me back to my personal story, because I am the son of migrant workers," he said.
"I know what it's like to be discriminated against, harassed, as a foreigner.
"Among the big companies making billions in Qatar, how many have solved the question of the fate of migrant workers? None, because a change in legislation equals lower profits. But we did," he said at a press conference earlier to ask: "Why doesn't anyone recognize this progress?".
Qatar is heavily criticized by humanitarian organizations for its treatment of migrant workers, particularly in the construction, security and domestic work sectors, as well as by LGBTQ movements.
Accusations forcefully rejected by the authorities, who underline that they have reformed the labor laws.
The organizers of the World Cup assure that members of
the LGBTQ community
will be welcomed without discrimination, despite the laws criminalizing same-sex sexual relations in the country.
On LGBTQ rights, Infantino, president of Fifa since 2016 and the only candidate to succeed him in 2023, assured that the Qatari authorities had given him the guarantee that "everyone" would be "welcome" during the World Cup.
"If anyone says otherwise, it's not the country's opinion, and it's not Fifa's opinion," he said.
