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FIFA president Gianni Infantino targeted European critics of World Cup host Qatar on Saturday and suggested a moral double standard in his home continent.
Key points:
- Gianni Infantino said Europeans should not be giving "moral lessons" to anyone
- Infantino related the criticism to bullying and discrimination he said he experienced as a child
- Infantino said fans "will survive" not being able to drink beer in stadiums
Infantino listed Europe's problems on the eve of Qatar kicking off its home tournament, which has been dogged for years by criticism of the emirate's record on human rights and treatment of migrant workers who built stadiums and infrastructure.
"What we Europeans have been doing for the past 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before we start giving moral lessons to people," Infantino said to hundreds of international media.
He said Qatar and capital city Doha will be ready to host the "best World Cup ever".
"Today I feel Qatari," Infantino said.
"Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel a migrant worker."
Infantino related the criticism to bullying and discrimination he said he experienced as a child of Italian parents who moved to work in Switzerland.
He said European nations now closed its borders to immigrants who wanted to work there, whereas Qatar had offered opportunities to workers from India, Bangladesh and other South-East Asian nations through legal channels.
Migrant labourers who built Qatar's World Cup stadiums often worked long hours under harsh conditions and were subjected to discrimination, wage theft and other abuses as their employers evaded accountability, London-based rights group Equidem said in a 75-page report released this month.
Under heavy international scrutiny, Qatar has enacted a number of labour reforms in recent years that have been praised by Equidem and other rights groups.
But advocates say abuses are still widespread and workers have few avenues for redress.
"What has been put on the table in the past few months is something quite incredible," the FIFA leader said of criticism of Qatar from Western media.
Fans should be able to abstain from alcohol, Infantino says
Infantino also downplayed Qatar's last-minute ban on the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums as nothing more than a brief inconvenience to spectators.
"If this is the biggest problem we have, I'll sign that [agreement]," Infantino said, a day after the conservative Muslim emirate did an about-face on the deal it had made to secure the tournament.
Infantino blamed "crowd flows" in Doha for the decision, saying the beer ban at stadiums was decided on jointly by Qatar officials and FIFA.
"We tried until the end to see whether it was possible," Infantino said of allowing alcohol sales.
"If for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive. Maybe there is a reason why in France, in Spain, in Scotland, alcohol is banned in stadiums. Maybe they are more intelligent us, having thought maybe we should be doing that."
Spectators can drink alcoholic beer in the evenings in "the FIFA Fan Festival", a designated party area that also offers live music and activities.
Qatar puts strict limits on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, though its sale has been permitted in hotel bars for years outside of the tournament-run areas.
The World Cup begins Sunday with an opening match between host country Qatar and Ecuador and, when Qatar made its pitch to host the tournament, the country agreed to FIFA's requirements of selling alcohol in stadiums.
The alcohol plans were only released 11 weeks before kick-off and then changed on Friday.
FIFA says non-alcoholic beer will still be sold at the eight stadiums, while champagne, wine, whiskey and other alcohol will be served in the luxury hospitality areas of the arenas.
Previous World Cup hosts have been asked to make concessions.
For the 2014 tournament, Brazil was forced to change a law to allow alcohol sales in stadiums — but the same cultural issues were not at play.
AB InBev's deal with FIFA was renewed in 2011, after Qatar was picked as host.
However, the Belgium-based brewer has faced uncertainty in recent months on the exact details of where it can serve and sell beer in Qatar.
Infantino denied that the ban of beer sales has harmed FIFA's relationship with Budweiser, its official beer sponsor.
Budweiser's official Twitter account tweeted "Well, this is awkward…" after the announcement, although that was later deleted.
"We are partners for some decades, and we look forward to partner for the future," Infantino said.
"This particular situation has brought us even closer together."
AP