Infantino: “The best World Cup ever. Human rights? The people who want to enjoy football come first” – Calcio

DOHA- “The best World Cup ever”. Thus the president of FIFA Infantino, before the two finals still to be played but with the approval of the FIFA board that has just met, defined the tournament: “We have to wait for the last act, but we can already speak of a truly great success: I think we need to remember all this and keep it in mind. People from all over the world came here to Qatar, the atmosphere was fantastic. The whole world discovered the Arab world and understood that the prejudices that existed had no reason for being: it is probably the most important legacy of this World Cup, the reciprocal opening of two worlds that did not know each other. The Qataris have opened their doors to everyone and whoever has been here will return to their country and be able to tell about it, it is a mutual understanding between peoples. We are convinced of the strength and power of football: the more receipts we have, the more we will be able to allocate them to the development of football in those countries that depend on us.”

The victims at work, in the construction sites for the World Cup, remain the most painful topic: “I believe that every victim at work is a victim for everyone: it is a tragedy not only for family members, but for all of us. I also believe that for all these reasons and for the respect of the truth it is necessary to be very precise when dealing with this subject. The difference in the figures communicated, 3 victims against 400, is too striking. Three people have fallen in the construction of the stadiums, 400 in the other construction sites “Workers’ rights are very close to our hearts. We are about to implement a specific agreement with the World Labor Organization, the World Cup has captured the attention on the issue”.

On the subject of the criticisms for the lack of respect for human rights in Qatar and the controversy over the No one armband forbidden to captains, with the tough position taken by Germany and Denmark, Infantino was instead very decisive in rejecting the accusations: “The debates are welcome within Fifa, where there are different cultures and different ways of seeing things, because FIFA represents 211 countries and is proud of it. We are a global organization and we must unite, not divide us. When we talk about the rules, it is not a question of prohibiting something, but of respecting the rules. Which says one thing clearly: football is played on the pitch and football rules must be respected there. There are fans who go to the stadium and a billion people watching the World Cup on screens: we have to think about them. Each of us has his own problems, but he must be able to enjoy the show without thinking about anything else: during those 90 minutes people can leave apart from their problems and think only of the game. Then, off the pitch, everyone is free to express their opinions.”