Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura, the heads of FIFA, have written to all 32 World Cup participating countries pleading with them to focus on football when the competition begins in November 20.
In a letter to all of the participating countries, FIFA President Infantino and General Secretary Samoura ask that everyone engaged to enjoy the festival of football and not focus on the problems that have plagued the competition thus far.
Although FIFA emphasizes in the letter that the governing body continues to be an apolitical organization and that there are significant issues facing the entire world, not just Qatar, it is expected that this World Cup will be the most contentious in history.
The letter follows FIFA’s requests from Ukraine for Iran to be excluded from the competition because Iran provided weaponry to support Russia’s attacks on Ukraine but does not specifically address those requests.
The competition’s build-up, which begins on November 20 in Qatar, has been overshadowed by several societal issues about the Islamic country’s human rights record.
Iran will compete against England, Wales, and the United States in the group stage, which starts in less than three weeks.
While homosexuality is prohibited in Qatar, thousands of migrant workers are claimed to have perished while constructing the tournament’s infrastructure.
Footballing nations all over the world are under intense pressure to utilize the competition to draw attention to the problems that have clouded the World Cup’s buildup.
According to the letter, FIFA is not a political organization and is not qualified to pass judgment or offer moral instruction.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of origin, background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality, according to a line from the letter.
“Now let’s concentrate on football, please”, a letter addressed to the 32 football-playing nations competing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar read.
The request by England, Wales, and six other European countries for their captains to wear “One Love” colorful armbands at the World Cup in response to worries about Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies is not mentioned in the letter.
However, Harry Kane, the captain of England, has agreed to wear a rainbow armband in favor of LGBT rights, and players from other countries have also pledged to take a position.
FIFA, which used the letter to discourage action, has already noted that both British nations could disobey any sanctions imposed by the organization.
The British countries are demanding compensation for the families of those who perished while building the larger infrastructure in Qatar in preparation for the World Cup.
As the tiny Gulf nation continues to prepare to handle an influx of teams and supporters for a month of matches, the English and Welsh Football Associations have continued to draw attention to concerns about labor abuses.
When Qatar was awarded the privilege to host the event during the previous FIFA administration, there were serious concerns raised over the treatment of LGBT supporters. It is also claimed that thousands of migrant laborers died while constructing stadiums.
Amid that, Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has concurred with Infantino’s remarks stressing that sport cannot expect players to be politicians.
