“Today, I feel Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled” – FIFA President recalls troubled childhood ahead of 2022 Qatar World Cup
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Gianni Infantino offered a passionate defence of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, claiming his support with many of the groups who appear to have been marginalized by the decision to move the tournament to the Middle East.
The decision to hold the world cup final in Qatar, a nation with a complex history when it comes to human rights, the exploitation of migrant workers, and the acceptance of homosexuality, has been widely criticized. However, in an extraordinary counterargument, Infantino was unapologetic.
He said: “Today I have very strong feelings. Today, I feel Qatari. Today, I feel Arab. Today, I feel African. Today, I feel gay. Today, I feel disabled. Today, I feel a migrant worker. What I see brings me back to my personal story. I am a son of migrant workers, my parents were working hard in very difficult conditions, not in Qatar but in Switzerland, I remember it very well. I know the rights migrants in Switzerland had.”
Infantino talked about his childhood memories referring to being ‘bullied’ for his appearance. “I remember as a child how migrant workers were treated when they wanted to enter a country and look for work. As a foreigner in a foreign county, as a child at school, I was bullied at school because I had red hair and freckles. I was Italian, and didn’t speak good German.”
FIFA president also tackled questions regarding Homosexuality ban at 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Given that Infantino is the head of the organization hosting the World Cup in a nation with such a restrictive view of homosexuality, his “I feel gay” remark quickly sparked allegations of hypocrisy on social media. “If we were to exclude all these countries, you are playing football with just you and me,” he commented.
“I think football has to bring people together and I think we have to welcome everybody. Gay people are welcome in Qatar – we need to engage, don’t provoke. How many gay people were prosecuted in Europe? It was a process, we went through a process. We seem to forget.” – referring to the homosexuality ban in Europe in the 90s.
“We shouldn’t take for granted that a country that has not had the same chance for development as we had in Europe. We have to have our beliefs, engage and explain. I think provocation is the wrong way. I may be right, may be wrong. I try to engage,” he added.
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Sujeeth Shetty
(766 Articles Published)