Europeans Must Apologise For 3 000 Years Before They Give Moral Lessons To Qatar – Fifa boss. On the eve of the World Cup’s start, Fifa President Gianni Infantino passionately defended the tournament in the Gulf state on Saturday, calling out the “hypocrisy” of Western critics of Qatar’s human rights record.
Concerns over how Qatar treats migrant workers, women, and the LGBTQ community have dominated the tournament’s build-up, much to the obvious chagrin of the organizers.
Officials from Qatar claim that their nation has been the target of “racist” and “double standards,” and they highlight the regionally lauded advances to working conditions and safety as evidence.
Just one day before the tournament’s opening match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador, football once more took a backseat on Saturday as off-field politics dominated the conversation.
At the tournament’s opening press conference in Doha, Infantino had harsh words for those who had criticized Qatar.
“This moral lesson-giving — one-sided — is just hypocrisy,” said the Swiss.
“I don’t want to give you any lessons of life, but what is going on here is profoundly, profoundly unjust.”
He added: “For what we Europeans have been doing for the last 3 000 years we should apologise for the next 3 000 years before starting giving moral lessons to people.”
Infantino also affirmed his support for underserved groups. “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,” he said.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the West is in no position 'to give moral lessons' to Qatar, adding that European nations should instead apologise for their own histories.
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The sale of beer in the Islamic state, which severely restricts alcohol consumption, has been another topic that has dominated the lead-up to the competition.
The world governing body FIFA did not provide an explanation for the unexpected decision, although media sources indicated that Qatar’s royal family had intervened.