The world cup has been criticized a lot because it is held in Qatar this season: Who is Gianni Infantino?
Infantino, who was elected president for the second time of the International Association of Football Federations (FIFA), received so much criticism that he gave the same harsh answers.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, regarding the criticism made against Qatar, which hosts the 2022 World Cup, said, "This one-sided moral lesson is just hypocrisy. I wonder why no one has seen the progress made here since 2016. I am European. Without moral lessons. "We must first apologize for what we have done around the world for 3,000 years and what we will do in the next 3,000 years."
Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss-Italian football administrator and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress in February 2016. He was re-elected as FIFA President in June 2019. In January 2020, he was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Infantino held a press conference in the capital Doha, one day before the start of the World Cup, which will be hosted by Qatar on 20 November-18 December. Responding to criticism of the organization, Infantino reacted sharply to those who criticized Qatar for its stance on migrant worker deaths and human rights. "I have strong feelings today. Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel like an immigrant worker. I am European. Before we give moral lessons, we must apologize for what we have done around the world for 3,000 years and what we will do in the next 3,000 years," Infantino said.
Infantino said, "We have to help these people, invest in education, and give them a better future, more hope. We should all educate ourselves, many things are not perfect but reform and change take time. This one-sided moral lesson is just hypocrisy. 2016 "I wonder why no one has seen the progress made here since then," he said.
Emphasizing that European countries have closed their borders to immigrants, while Qatar offers opportunities to workers from India, Bangladesh, and other Southeast Asian countries, Infantino said, "If Europe really cares about the fate of these people, it is legal to allow some of these workers to come to Europe to work, as Qatar does. "I don't have to defend Qatar, they can defend themselves. I defend football. Qatar has made progress and I feel many other things," he said.
Gianni Infantino was born on March 23, 1970, in Brig, Switzerland. Originally Italian, Infantino holds both Italian and Swiss citizenship. The 45-year-old football executive completed his undergraduate studies in law at the University of Friborg in his home country. Infantino is fluent in Italian, French, German, English, and Spanish.
Prior to joining UEFA, Infantino was the general secretary of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchatel and a consultant to the football management of various countries such as Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
Infantino, who served as UEFA General Secretary, worked to strengthen European football both at the club and country levels and for UEFA to become a more respected and more reliable international board of directors. The Swiss manager attaches great importance to the concept of Financial Fair Play, which he believes will create a fairer football environment.
Gianni Infantino was taken at the national team level; He played a major role in decisions such as the participation of 24 teams in UEFA Euro 2016, the establishment of the UEFA Nations League, and the organization of UEFA Euro 2020 in 13 European countries. Infantino is also a member of the FIFA Reform Committee.
Infantino, who closely follows the legal processes in UEFA due to his being a lawyer, also took a role as a manager in the club licensing system and was appointed as the assistant general secretary in 2007. Infantino was the name that led the negotiations on sports law with the Greek government after the football scandals erupted in Greece in 2015. Infantino became president in the 2016 election, surpassing the President of the Asian Football Confederation Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein and former FIFA Deputy Secretary General Jerome Champagne.