In his speech to an episode of the "Without Borders" program (15/12/2021), Infantino added that Qatar's success in organizing the Arab World Cup, which it organized with the participation of 16 teams, is a test of the sports facilities for organizing the World Cup next year, describing the tournament as amazing and an affirmation of Doha's readiness. to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He pointed out that the 2022 World Cup experience in Qatar will be unique and will not be repeated, because all the tournament stadiums will be in a small geographical area through which all stadiums can be easily reached, either through public or private transportation, and the world will get to know Qatar and the Arab region closely. Far from prejudice.
He added that the stadiums in which the tournament will be held will be the best in the world in terms of equipment, and the atmosphere at that time will be very wonderful, and all stadiums in Qatar were built for football so that the players present their best, and these stadiums will provide unique experiences for fans during the tournament.
On reports related to Qatar’s violation of workers’ rights, Infantino confirmed that since his appointment as FIFA president 5 years ago, he visited Doha to learn about the conditions of workers in World Cup facilities, but he saw that the procedures and laws it had taken in human rights and labor issues was amazing and a “strong response” to the reports. Which talked about their mistreatment during the construction of these facilities.
He added that many human rights organizations and others specialized in labor rights are present in Qatar and closely monitor their dealings with workers, and praised Doha's role in providing job opportunities for many workers in several countries, describing this as a rare humanitarian matter because the countries that organized the cup before relied on local employment.
World Cup every two years
On the proposal to organize the World Cup every two years, Infantino said that the proposal aims to allow everyone to participate, as organizing the tournament every 4 years does not allow the participation of teams belonging to FIFA, which represent 200 countries.
He added that the decision to hold the World Cup every 4 years was made 100 years ago, and at that time, moving from America to Europe took 3 months, but now the situation has changed and players are able to move within hours only, and all countries of the world play the game of football, and converting it every two years will enable them of playing and giving them the opportunity.
On the effects of the Corona pandemic on football and the role of FIFA, the President of the Football Association confirmed that the pandemic greatly affected sports and athletes, but FIFA, thanks to its governance systems and financial abundance, was able to provide great support in order to combat Corona.
On the possibility of the pandemic affecting the World Cup next year, Infantino said that Qatar dealt with the pandemic in a wonderful and distinctive way, and organizing the Arab World Cup was a real test for Doha’s management of this pandemic, and the development of science in the speed of vaccine production has an impact in order to recover from the pandemic.