Fifa: Gianni Infantino's "misinterpreted" remarks on migrants
The president of the International Football Federation, Gianni Infantino, during a FIFA Council in Zurich on October 20, 2021. Harold Cunningham FIFA / AFP
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
4 mins
Before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the president of Fifa Gianni Infantino seemed to establish a link on Wednesday January 26 between his project for a World Cup every two years and the tragedy of migrants in the Mediterranean to which it is necessary to “
give hope
”, triggering a controversy which he tried to extinguish by evoking “
misinterpreted
” remarks .
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"
I understand that in Europe, the World Cup takes place twice a week, because the best players play in Europe
", but it is necessary to think "
of the rest of the world
(...)
who does not see the best players, who does not take part in high-level competitions
," Infantino told the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg.
“
How low can Infantino go?
»
“
We have to include them, we have to find ways to include the whole world, to give hope to Africans so that they do not need to cross the Mediterranean to find perhaps a better life, but more probably death in the sea. We have to give opportunity, and we have to give dignity, not by doing charity, but by allowing the rest of the world to participate
,” the Swiss-Italian leader said. Words that have not gone unnoticed, and which have been widely commented on on social networks. “
How low can Infantino go? Instrumentalizing death in the Mediterranean to sell
his megalomaniac project
leaves you speechless
“, reacted Ronan Evain, director-general of the Football Supporters Europe collective.
“
My colleagues at Human Rights Watch interview refugees around the world almost every day.
We write reports on the reasons
(...)
which compel them to leave their homes.
They never mention the World Cup calendar
,” quipped Andrew Stroehlein, in charge of media at this non-governmental organization.
Gianni Infantino, through the Fifa Twitter account, wished to return to the meaning of his remarks, considering that certain remarks that (he) made before the Council of Europe earlier in the day seem to have been "
misinterpreted and taken out of context
. Gianni Infantino explained that his more general message was that “
everyone in a decision-making position has a responsibility to contribute to improving the situation of people in the world.
“And to add:”
if there are more opportunities available, including in Africa, but certainly not only on this continent, it should enable people to pursue these opportunities in their own countries.
It was a general comment, which was not directly related to the possibility of playing a FIFA World Cup every two years
.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe denounces the "
thousands of work accidents
" observed in Qatar
Defended by Gianni Infantino, the hypothesis of a biennial competition, and no longer quadrennial, is fought by a front ranging from European and South American federations to the big clubs.
But it enjoys the unanimous support of the 54 African federations.
In Strasbourg, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) demanded on Wednesday 26 January that respect for certain "
fundamental standards
" become a "
precondition
" for the designation of host countries for international football competitions, denouncing the
"
thousands of occupational accidents
"
observed in Qatar in preparation for the 2022 World Cup.
In January, the Swiss newspaper
Blick
revealed that the boss of world football had settled in Doha, where the Italo-Swiss rents a house and two of his four daughters go to school, while the headquarters of Fifa is established in Zurich, Switzerland, since 1932. He lives temporarily in Doha, in anticipation of the World Cup in Qatar (November 21-December 18), FIFA confirmed in a press release. "
For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Infantino is domiciled and remains subject to tax in Switzerland
," said Fifa.
“
The place of the president of Fifa is where the headquarters are and it is in Zurich.
I can't say it's outrageous.
But I can say that it is incomprehensible that he is going to settle there with his family.
It gives a bitter taste
”, reacted the former leader of Fifa Sepp Blatter (1998-2015), aged 85.
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