- Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, said he "understands discrimination."
- "As a child, I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian, so imagine," he said.
The FIFA president has said he "understands discrimination" as he was bullied for being a redhead as a child.
Gianni Infantino made the comments during a 57-minute speech in which he accused Western nations of "hypocrisy" for focusing on Qatar's human rights record rather than their own.
Infantino opened his controversial speech by saying: "Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari. I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker."
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Later he said, "Of course, I am not Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled, or a migrant worker. But I feel like them because I know what it means to be discriminated and bullied as a foreigner in a foreign country."
Switzerland-born Infantino continued: "As a child, I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian, so imagine."
The day before the World Cup starts in Qatar, the FIFA boss stated that the country — which punishes gay people with imprisonment or death and has overseen over 6,000 deaths of migrant workers tasked with building the World Cup infrastructure — has changed and "made progress."
"I don't have to defend Qatar," Infantino said. "They can defend themselves. I defend football."
Infantino added: "We have been taught many lessons from Europeans and the Western world. I am European. For what we have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before giving moral lessons."
The last-minute alcohol ban was a joint decision.
Infantino also used his monologue to comment on the last-minute ban on alcohol within sporting venues, which was announced last night.
Noting that alcohol will not be served in stadiums at the Budweiser-sponsored event, Infantino said, "Let me first assure you that every decision taken at this World Cup is a joint decision between Qatar and Fifa. There will be many fan zones where you can buy alcohol in Qatar. I think if for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive."