Array
World soccer’s most powerful figure is handing out red cards to anyone who dares to question FIFA’s decision to choose Qatar as the first Middle Eastern nation to hold the quadrennial World Cup.
Qatar’s suitability as a host has been a rising topic of discussion as the U.S. and 31 other nations begin the monthlong tournament this weekend. In addition to grumbling over whether the country is ready to host the massive event, critics have zeroed in on Qatar’s questionable stands on civil liberties, the treatment of migrant workers and its record on gay rights.
But FIFA President Gianni Infantino was having none of it in an extraordinarily combative press conference Saturday on the eve of the tournament, defending Qatar’s preparations and accusing its critics of rank hypocrisy.
“I’m European,” he told a packed news conference, part of a nearly 90-minute monologue scolding the press for its coverage of the tournament and its criticisms of the organizers. “For what we Europeans have been doing around the world in the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.
