Where this was said
Human Rights, Migrant Workers, and the Doha Press Conference
At 9:09 · chapter starts 8:50
A BBC investigation documented deaths and abuse among migrant workers building Qatar's World Cup infrastructure right up to the tournament's final months. Every public appearance Infantino made was shadowed by these questions. His general answer was that the World Cup shines a light on host countries and Qatar had improved its labor systems. But the moment that will define this era came in a Doha press room, when Infantino declared: 'Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.' Joshua Robinson calls it the single most memorable press conference he has ever attended — and it crystallized for many the gap between Infantino's self-image and the reality of his leadership. [1] — Gianni Infantino "In a Doha press room before the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Infantino declared 'Today I feel gay, today I feel disabled, today I feel a migrant w…" 08:38
Human rights groups put migrant worker deaths in Qatar in the hundreds; the Qatari government officially cited 37 deaths.
FIFA moved the 2022 Qatar World Cup from summer to November–December — the first time in history — to accommodate Qatar's extreme heat.
To accommodate Qatar's extreme heat, FIFA did something no one thought possible: moved the World Cup out of summer for the first time ever. It cost FIFA hundreds of millions in compensation to European leagues, disrupted broadcasters, and was, as one journalist put it, 'the equivalent of moving the Super Bowl to October.'
Qatar banned alcohol sales around World Cup stadiums just 48 hours before the tournament started, blindsiding FIFA and its primary alcohol sponsor Budweiser.
Qatar banned alcohol sales around World Cup stadiums just 48 hours before the 2022 tournament began — a bombshell that left FIFA's primary sponsor Budweiser selling only Bud Zero. It revealed how much power FIFA had ceded to its host nations.
