Infantino with World Cup peace appeal at the G20 summit

Gianni Infantino addressed the heads of state present at the G20 summit in Bali with an appeal for peace. The FIFA President suggested a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine during the upcoming World Cup.

“We are not naïve and think that football can solve the world’s problems,” explained Infantino. Nevertheless, he emphasized that the World Cup could be “an occasion for a positive gesture or a sign”.

In addition to US President Joe Biden and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also attended the meeting of the world’s 20 most important industrialized and emerging countries. In his speech, Infantino addressed the heads of state directly: “You are the leaders of the world. You have the opportunity to influence the course of history.”

“My request to all of you is to consider a temporary one-month ceasefire for the duration of the World Cup. Or at least the introduction of humanitarian corridors or anything else that will lead to the resumption of dialogue,” continued the Fifa President.

Infantino lacks credibility

Even if Infantino, like that daily News writes that “cut a surprisingly good figure in his speech”, he lacks credibility in the eyes of many fans and observers. Not only that the World Cup award to Qatar and FIFA’s silence about the human rights violations there cause a lack of understanding. Since taking office six years ago, the Swiss has not managed to steer the scandal-ridden world association into serious waters – on the contrary. Infantino is considered at least as corrupt as his predecessor Sepp Blatter.

Everything about the 2022 World Cup in 90 minutes

This article was originally published on 90min.de as.