Gianni Infantino calls the “moral lessons” “hypocritical”

Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, stated on Saturday that he identified as “Arab,” “gay,” and a “migrant worker,” harshly denouncing the “moral teachings” of those who oppose Qatar, which he called “hypocrisy,” only days before the World Cup-2022 began.

The Italian-Swiss leader emphasized his Italian ancestry during a news conference to help him feel connected to the immigrants who came to Doha to work.

He said this opening anaphora: “Today I feel Qatari, today I feel Arab, today I feel African, today I feel gay, today I feel disabled, today I feel migrant worker.”

I am the son of migrant workers, so it brings back memories for me, he remarked. “I understand what it’s like to face harassment and discrimination for being a foreigner. I experienced discrimination as a youngster (in Switzerland) because I was red, had freckles, was Italian, and had poor German.

In response to the numerous accusations leveled at Fifa over the working conditions of World Cup construction workers, Gianni Infantino stated that the international federation was one of the few to be concerned about their fate.

“How many of Qatar’s multibillion-dollar corporations have resolved the question of migrant employees’ fate?” Because a change in legislation equals less profit, none. But we accomplished it,” he continued, before wondering, “Why isn’t this progress recognized?”

NGOs frequently criticize Qatar for its treatment of migrant workers, notably those in construction, security, and domestic labor, as well as LGBTQ+ people.

These allegations are vigorously refuted by the authorities, who point out that they have reformed their labor laws, as well as by the Qatari organizers of the Mondial, who assure that members of the LGBTQ+ community will be welcomed without discrimination, despite laws in the country criminalizing sexual relations between people of the same sex.

“These prejudiced moral teachings are pure dishonesty,” stated Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA since 2016 and the sole candidate for his successor in 2023.

“We should apologize for the next 3,000 years for what we Europeans have done for the last 3,000 years before we start lecturing people,” he continued.

Concerning LGBTQ+ rights, the leader stated that Qatari officials had informed him that “everyone” would be “welcome” during the event (November 20-December 18).