World Cup will help Qatar, region battle ‘prejudice’: FIFA president

The upcoming football World Cup is a chance for the Gulf region to push back against “prejudice”, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said yesterday. He was speaking via video-link at an investor conference in Saudi Arabia, which is reportedly in talks with Greece and Egypt about a separate proposal 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.He also pointed to “key improvements in terms of workers’ welfare”, adding: “These changes have happened in a few years only in Qatar.” (AFP)