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He then tackled one situation after one other, expressing his irritation at how, in his thoughts, the fact of life in Qatar was far completely different from what was within the pages of newspapers, which he made some extent of claiming he ignored.
He insisted fears over the remedy of LGBTQ+ folks attending the World Cup have been overstated, and repeatedly mentioned they have been welcome in Qatar though homosexuality stays criminalized within the nation.
“Everybody’s safety is assured, from the best stage of presidency,” Infantino mentioned. “That is the assure we’ve given, and we keep it up.”
He then sought to minimize Friday’s abrupt U-turn on the provision of beer at stadiums, a last-minute change that shocked the longtime FIFA associate most affected by it, Budweiser. Removed from souring that relationship, Infantino insisted, the sudden rupture had in actual fact strengthened the connection with the brewer.
He provided no proof to assist his declare, someday after Budweiser had launched an announcement that appeared to grudgingly settle for a call — made in session between Qatar and FIFA, Infantino insisted — that was out of their management.
That sudden reversal of years of guarantees by match organizers had raised questions on FIFA’s authority of its personal occasion, with the beer ban being demanded by essentially the most senior Qatari royals. Infantino, nevertheless, insisted that every one choices, even these made late, and apparently influenced by royal fiat, have been made collectively.
“I really feel 200 % accountable for this World Cup,” he mentioned.
Infantino hinted darkly about what underpinned the sudden change of coronary heart on beer, blaming the transfer on “threats that weren’t recognized earlier than.” His feedback additionally underlined considerations about Qatar’s suitability to host such a big occasion: With 4 video games per day within the opening group stage, all performed in what’s successfully a single city-state, Infantino mentioned the motion of huge teams of followers inside such a compact atmosphere carried larger dangers in the event that they have been fueled by beer.
Requested concerning the appropriateness of his language, Infantino remained unapologetic, doubling down every time he was pressed to clarify himself.
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