WATCH: FIFA President Bizarrely Calls for More World Cups to Save African Migrants From ‘Death in the Sea’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for biennial World Cups, but made the outrageous claim that hosting the event every two years will help stop the African migrant crisis.
Infantino spoke to European lawmakers Wednesday, preaching the need for more World Cups to help make the sport more global and inclusive. According to the FIFA president, Europe essentially witnesses World Cup level soccer twice per week because the best players are all there.
“If we think about rest of world…then we have to think about what football brings,” Infantino said. “Football is about opportunity, about hope, about national teams, about the country, about the joy, about the emotion. And we cannot say to the rest of the world give us your money…but watch us on TV. We need to include them.”
A fair argument and proposal from Infantino, who wants to see the sport grow financially and in popularity, just as most league presidents and commissioners do. But his next claim is the one that reeked of despair in his plea for a cash grab and sparked outrage.
“We need to find ways to include the whole world to give hope to Africans so that they don’t need to cross the Mediterranean in order to find maybe a better life but, more probably, death in the sea,” Infantino said. “We need to give opportunities and we need to give dignity.”
Infantino’s claim has been met with backlash, as FIFA is already a multibillion-dollar organization which can invest in helping people without calling for a biennial World Cup. He later amended his comments to add “everyone in a decision-making position has a responsibility to help improve the situation of people around the world.”
“If there are more opportunities available, including in Africa, but certainly not limited to that continent, this should allow people to take these opportunities in their own countries,” Infantino continued. “This was a general comment, which was not directly related to the possibility of playing a FIFA World Cup every two years.”
Unfortunately, his original comment was made as an apparent direct correlation to the possibility of playing a FIFA World Cup every two years.
Watch above via Sky Sports News
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