November 19, (THEWILL) – In his stirring pre-World Cup speech, FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has denounced the media’s portrayal of Qatar’s alleged “fake fans” as “pure racism”
On the eve of Qatar 2022, Infantino delivered a protracted speech in which he addressed a wide variety of contentious issues that had dominated the tournament’s lead-up. The coverage of fans in Qatar over the previous week as teams arrived in the Gulf Country was one of the subjects brought up.
THEWILL recalls that social media has been flooded with claims that many of the fans seen in parades and gathered at team stadiums are not of the same country as the team they appear to be supporting, or are, in the words of some, were “fake fans.”
While Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy labelled the scepticism of their passion as “disappointing and unsurprising”, Infantino was more scathingly direct: “Help, don’t divide. Try to unite. The world is divided enough. We are organising a World Cup, not a war. Where anyone can come and enjoy. Look at the city – it’s beautiful, it’s happy, they celebrate.
“They went to see the teams, and what happened when they did – well they don’t look like English, they look like Indians! Can someone who looks Indian not cheer for England? Or Spain or Germany? You know what this is – it’s racism, pure racism. Everyone in this world has a right to cheer for who they want.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
