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☆ World Cup: Welsh first minister tells Infantino to stop digging
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in a hole and should stop digging after he accused critics of World Cup host Qatar of hypocrisy. Infantino rounded on European critics of the host nation over the issues of migrant workers and LGBT rights on Saturday, adding that engagement was the only way to improve human rights. read moreDrakeford, who is in Qatar to mark Wales's first World Cup appearance since 1958, told Reuters on Sunday that Western countries should be prepared to review their own history but people's rights "really matter". "Wales is an outward looking inclusive nation where people's rights really matter to us. And his first law of holes was when you're in one, stop digging."

☆ Soccer Qatar's Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together." Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium, 44 km (27 miles) north of the capital, Doha. Earlier, the nearly full stadium erupted in cheers when Sheikh Tamim arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The ceremony featured video footage of Sheikh Tamim as a boy playing soccer in the desert, which seemed aimed at countering the argument made by Qatar's critics that the Gulf Arab state has no soccer tradition.

☆ Ecuador dampens Qatar’s party as controversial World Cup gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Al Khor, Qatar CNN —For the past year, a giant clock in Doha has been counting down to the opening match of the World Cup. Qatar and the world need wait no more, after this controversial tournament got underway Sunday with the host losing 2-0 to Ecuador. People watch as fireworks go off before the start of the World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium. The country’s last-minute ban of alcohol in World Cup stadiums also made headlines around the world. Colombian singer Maluma, who features in the official World Cup anthem, walked out of an interview on Israeli television when he was questioned about the Gulf state’s human rights record.

☆ FIFA President Defends Qatar World Cup by Criticizing Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—The president of soccer’s global governing body, Gianni Infantino , on Saturday defended Qatar’s right to host the World Cup, breaking months of silence on the country’s human rights record by hitting back at those that he said were giving lectures on morality. In an hour-long monologue on the eve of the tournament’s opening game, Infantino argued that Qatar’s critics had failed to recognize the country’s progress on workers’ rights, accused the West of “hypocrisy,” defended Iran’s participation in the tournament, and suggested hosting tournaments in Iran and North Korea to provoke social change.

☆ Budweiser World Cup campaign curbed, not crashed, by Qatar beer ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Budweiser has been a World Cup sponsor since the 1986 tournament in Mexico. STRICT CONTROLSBut Qatar 2022 was always going to be different, as the first World Cup held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public. He added that FIFA and Budweiser had been partners for decades and looked forward to being partners in the future. Doukeris though has said that the far greater impact in terms of beer sales is from fans across the globe, many with a AB InBev beer in hand - from a Jupiler in Belgium to a Brahma in Brazil. Indeed, the brewer has launched its biggest ever World Cup campaign in over 70 markets, more than double the number of participating countries, compared with just over 50 for the 2018 edition.

☆ Gianni Infantino launches explosive tirade against Western critics on eve of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Doha, Qatar CNN —On the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino launched a tirade against Western critics of the controversial tournament in an explosive hour-long monologue. Infantino, the boss of world soccer’s governing body, looked on glumly as he addressed hundreds of journalists in Doha, Qatar, Saturday. “We are taught many lessons from Europeans, from the Western world,” he said, referring to criticisms of Qatar’s human rights record. He has spent a lot of time defending FIFA’s decision in 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar. “Let me first assure you that every decision that is taken in this World Cup is a joint decision between Qatar and FIFA,” he said.

☆ FIFA president compares his childhood experience of being bullied as a redhead with freckles to the plight of migrant workers in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"As a child, I was bullied – because I had red hair and freckles, plus I was Italian, so imagine," he said. Infantino slammed Western nations for "hypocrisy" in a near-hour-long speechTop editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker." "I don't have to defend Qatar," Infantino said. Infantino added: "We have been taught many lessons from Europeans and the Western world.

☆ FIFA chief accuses critics of Qatar of hypocrisy ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused critics of World Cup host Qatar's treatment of migrant workers of hypocrisy on Saturday, adding that engagement was the only way to improve human rights. Doha is ready, Qatar is ready and of course it will be the best World Cup ever." "I believe the changes that have happened in Qatar would maybe not have happened, or not at least at that speed, (without the World Cup). "I've seen a lot of criticism of Gianni Infantino since I've joined FIFA, in particular from the LGBTI community," he said. He has received assurances that everyone will be welcome ... Just because Gianni Infantino is not gay, does not mean he does not care.

☆ 'I feel gay', FIFA chief attempts to empathise with marginalised
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 19 (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows on Saturday when he attempted to show empathy with marginalised groups by telling reporters in Qatar 'I feel gay ... Today I feel gay. "Judging by social media, your comments that you feel gay has caused some surprise to many in the gay community," one journalist later noted before asking Infantino a question. "I've seen a lot of criticism of Gianni Infantino since I've joined FIFA, in particular from the LGBTI community," he said. He has received assurances that everyone will be welcome ... Just because Gianni Infantino is not gay, does not mean he does not care.

☆ 'It's not safe and it's not right.' Qatar says all are welcome to the World Cup but some LGBTQ fans are staying away
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Visitors gather at the FIFA World Cup countdown clock in Doha on October 30, 2022. But Minden told CNN: “It’s not safe and it’s not right.”‘Everyone is welcome to Qatar’A Qatar government official told CNN in a statement that the World Cup host was an inclusive country. It doesn’t sit right with me.”Qatar isn’t the first controversial host of a big sporting event, or even a FIFA World Cup. Wales is one of eight participating European countries at the World Cup supporting the initiative. The World Cup, like the Olympics, puts the host country under a global spotlight.

CNN —FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s near hour-long speech on the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been described as “crass” and an “insult” to migrant workers by human rights groups. In an explosive, and sometimes bizarre, monologue, Infantino – the boss of world soccer’s governing body – accused Western critics of Qatar’s human rights record of hypocrisy,“Today I feel Qatari. Infantino’s speech was an insult to the thousands of hard working women and men who have made the World Cup possible. The report did not connect all 6,500 deaths with World Cup infrastructure projects and has not been independently verified by CNN. All would have been constructed by migrant workers, who – according to Amnesty International – account for 90% of the workforce in a near-three million population.

☆ No alcohol sales permitted at Qatar's World Cup stadium sites - FIFA
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DOHA Nov 18 (Reuters) - In a reversal, alcoholic beer will not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums, world soccer governing body FIFA said in a statement on Friday. The announcement comes two days before Sunday's kickoff of the World Cup, the first to be held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public. "Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters," a FIFA spokesperson said in the statement. "Tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup," the statement said. Questions have swirled around the role alcohol would play at this year's World Cup since Qatar won hosting rights in 2010.

☆ No alcohol sales permitted at Qatar's World Cup stadium sites
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The announcement comes two days before Sunday's kickoff of the World Cup, the first to be held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public. For years, Qatar's tournament organisers have said that alcohol would be widely accessible to fans at the tournament. Budweiser has been a World Cup sponsor since 1985, the year before the event was held in Mexico. "Tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev’s understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup," the statement said. Questions have swirled around the role alcohol would play at this year's World Cup since Qatar won hosting rights in 2010.

☆ FIFA wants us to think the World Cup is about showing 'humanity can live in peace together.' It's really about money — but I'll still watch.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup, hosted by Qatar, will begin Sunday. read a recent letter to World Cup teams signed by Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president. Telemundo's 2022 FIFA World Cup ad sales for its Spanish televising of the tournament hit "record revenue," a spokesperson said. Khalid Salman, the Qatar World Cup ambassador and a former footballer, said homosexuality is "damage in the mind" in an interview with the German broadcaster ZDF earlier this month. The 2022 World Cup is a cynical attempt at sportswashing.

☆ Qatar World Cup: 'Our dreams never came true.' These men helped build Qatar's tournament, now they are struggling to survive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Aimee Lewis Pramod Acharya Sugam Pokharel | Aimee Lewis | Pramod Acharya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

It will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but one also mired in controversy. He had dreamed of watching World Cup matches from the rooftop of the hotel he had helped build. In Qatar, migrant workers can now change jobs freely without permission from their employer. However, a number of European federations have issued a joint statement saying they would campaign at the tournament on human rights and for a migrant workers center and a compensation fund for migrant workers. The motto for Qatar’s bid team in 2010 was ‘Expect Amazing.’ In many ways, this year’s World Cup has replicated that maxim.

☆ Infantino to serve another four-year term as FIFA President
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino will serve another four-year term at the helm of world soccer’s governing body after emerging as the only candidate for the next election in March. He will be re-elected at the FIFA congress in Rwanda in March for a third term. Infantino won the FIFA presidency in 2016 on an initial three-year term, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected in 2019. He thanked more than 200 members associations who FIFA said had offered him their backing for another term as President. Infantino was then re-elected unopposed, having won a second term at FIFA’s Paris Congress in 2019.

☆ World Cup 2022: when is the opening ceremony and who is performing?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the opening ceremony that will take place ahead of the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar:WHEN WILL THE OPENING CEREMONY TAKE PLACE? * The opening ceremony of the World Cup will take place on Nov. 20, ahead of the opening Group A match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador. WHO WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY? * FIFA are yet to announce a full list of performers for the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony. WHO PERFORMED AT THE 2018 WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY?

☆ Soccer FIFA boss Infantino urges World Cup ceasefire in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking during a lunch with leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies on the Indonesian island of Bali, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the month-long World Cup, which starts in Qatar on Sunday, offered a unique platform for peace. Football and the World Cup are offering you and the world a unique platform of unity and peace all over the world." The World Cup takes place from Nov 20 to Dec. 18 in Qatar, which is the first Middle East country to host soccer's showpiece event. Russia reached the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in 2018 but has been barred from this tournament over its invasion of Ukraine. "Maybe the current World Cup, starting in five days can be that positive trigger," he added.

☆ Iran should not be allowed to play at World Cup, says former FIFA President Sepp Blatter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadine Schmidt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter thinks Iran should be barred from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, a Swiss paper and online news website quoted him as saying Friday. Swiss outlet ‘Blick’ showed a video of the former FIFA President at a talk at its publisher’s headquarters on Thursday. Meanwhile, soccer player Sardar Azmoun risks missing out on being selected for the World Cup after criticizing the government. Football and the World Cup are too big for it,” Blatter said of Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host the tournament. The World Cup starts on November 20 with Iran starting its campaign against England on November 21.

☆ Former FIFA head Blatter says Iran should be barred from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter thinks Iran should be barred from the World Cup amid widespread protests in the Islamic Republic sparked by the death of a woman in the custody of morality police, a Swiss paper quoted him on Friday as saying. "Iran should be excluded from the World Cup," the Blick tabloid reported, saying Blatter at a talk at its publisher's headquarters had demanded harsh consequences and that he would have removed Iran from competition had he still been in charge. The protests in Iran pose one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Blick paper cited Blatter as saying it was incomprehensible that FIFA head Gianni Infantino had not taken a clear position on Iran. Blatter, 86, had made waves this week by saying it had been a mistake to award Qatar the hosting rights to the World Cup, which begins on Nov. 20.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

CNN —FIFA announced on Thursday that shared flights have been organized to permit Israeli and Palestinian fans into Qatar to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The temporary direct charter flights between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, represent the only official direct flights between the two nations. READ: Qatar World Cup ‘is a mistake,’ says former FIFA President Sepp BlatterThe Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Ushpiz, said: “Today’s announcement will allow Israeli citizens to freely travel to Qatar and attend matches at the World Cup. We have always said that anyone with a World Cup match ticket will be allowed to enter Qatar. Because of this agreement, Palestinians will now be able to enjoy the first World Cup in the Arab and Muslim world.”The 2022 FIFA World Cup runs from November 20 through December 18.

CNN —Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman has said homosexuality is “damage in the mind,” in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday. As many people are expected to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, “let’s talk about gays,” Salman said. Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 from November 20 until December 18. Earlier this month, football’s world governing body FIFA urged nations participating in the 2022 World Cup to focus on football when the tournament kicks off. The countdown clock for the World Cup during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar on December 15, 2021 in Doha.

☆ FIFA pleads with World Cup nations to 'focus on football' in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sky News quoted Infantino and Samoura as saying in the letter to the 32 nations contesting the World Cup. The World Cup, the first held in the Middle East, starts on Nov. 20. read moreFootball Australia was unable to provide immediate comment to Reuters on the FIFA letter on Friday. World Cup organisers have said that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome, while also warning against public displays of affection. Qatar has acknowledged there are "gaps" in its labour system but the World Cup has allowed the country to make progress on worker rights.

☆ Indonesia to demolish soccer stadium where stampede killed over 130
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Stanley Widianto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Flower petals are seen inside the Kanjuruhan stadium where a riot and stampede took place following a soccer match between Arema vs Persebaya, in Malang, East Java province, Indonesia, October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File PhotoJAKARTA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Indonesia will demolish and rebuild a football stadium where a stampede killed more than 130 people this month, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday as he vowed to "thoroughly transform" the sport in the soccer-mad nation. The president, popularly known as Jokowi, was speaking to reporters at the state palace after meeting Gianni Infantino, head of world soccer governing body FIFA. "Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang...we will demolish it and rebuild according to FIFA standards," he said. The president said he had agreed with Infantino on significant changes to how the sport was managed in Indonesia.

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