The 2018 World Cup of football offers the Gulf region a chance to combat “prejudice,” according to Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA. He was addressing an investment conference in Saudi Arabia via video link, which is said to be in discussions with Egypt and Greece over a different plan to host the World Cup in 2030.
The four-week tournament in Qatar, which begins November 20, offers “an opportunity for Qatar and the whole region to present itself to the world in another light, another way, and get rid I think once and for all of some of the prejudice that sadly still exists,” Infantino said.
Infantino highlighted the reforms made to the labour system and working practices in Qatar. “Some real changes have already happened. For example, when we speak about workers’ rights, which is and has been an important topic, for the first time in the region minimum wages have been established for all workers,” he said.
Additionally, he noted “significant advances in terms of workers’ welfare,” noting that “these developments have only occurred in Qatar in the past several years.” (AFP)
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