The football world has collectively condemned the bizarre comments made by FIFA president Gianni Infantino in his press conference.
Infantino expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community and migrant workers, but did so in the form of a lengthy monologue that lasted well over 40 minutes.
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The build-up to the tournament in the Gulf state has been dominated by concerns over Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community.
Qatar officials say their country has been the target of “racism” and “double standards”.
And Infantino went in to bat for the host nation.
“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,” Infantino said.
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The president then added: “I’m not Qatari, African, gay, disabled & I’m not really a migrant worker but I know what it means to be discriminated & bullied, as a foreign in a foreign country, as a child at school I was bullied because I had red hair and freckles. I was bullied for that.”
Infantino also pointed out that Europeans haven’t exactly been squeaky-clean themselves over thousands of years and should be “apologising” more than anything else.
“We have been taught many, many lessons by Europeans,” Infantino said.
“I am European. I think what we Europeans have been doing around the world for the last three thousand years, we should be apologising for the next 3 thousand years before giving moral lessons to people.”
Unsurprisingly, several football figures on social media were quick to slam Infantino over his odd comments.