{"id":1745832,"date":"2022-11-20T06:30:57","date_gmt":"2022-11-20T11:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1745832"},"modified":"2022-11-20T10:07:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-20T15:07:03","slug":"fifa-head-compares-himself-to-gay-or-migrant-workers-in-response-to-qatar-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fifa-head-compares-himself-to-gay-or-migrant-workers-in-response-to-qatar-critics\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA Head Compares Himself to Gay or Migrant Workers in Response to Qatar Critics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffifa-head-compares-himself-to-gay-or-migrant-workers-in-response-to-qatar-critics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1745832&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p data-testid=\"paragraph-0\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 19 (Reuters) &#8211; FIFA President Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows on Saturday when he attempted to show empathy with marginalised groups by telling reporters in Qatar &#8216;I feel gay &#8230; I feel like a migrant worker&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-1\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">Infantino opened the traditional pre-World Cup news conference on Saturday with a lengthy monologue lambasting the critics of Qatar hosting the tournament because of the country&#8217;s human rights record. <a data-testid=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/lifestyle\/sports\/soccer-fifa-chief-accuses-critics-qatar-hypocrisy-ahead-world-cup-2022-11-19\/\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__medium__1kbOh text__large__nEccO link__underline_default__2prE_\"> read more <\/a><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-2\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel (like) a vagrant. Today I feel (like) a migrant worker,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-3\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;I feel all of this because what I see &#8230; brings me back to my personal story.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-4\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">Infantino then detailed how he had grown up as the child of migrant workers in Switzerland and had been bullied for his accent and for having red hair and freckles.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-5\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;Of course, I am not Qatari, I am not an Arab, I am not African, I am not gay, I am not disabled,&#8221; he later added.<\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"image-0\" class=\"article-image__figure__3SBJc article-body__element__2p5pI\">\n<div data-testid=\"StatefulImage\" class=\"stateful-image__container__hH_Q_ stateful-image__light__2XHJA article-image__image__31ytm\">\n<div data-testid=\"Image\" class=\"stateful-image__image__ThpeM\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/WEQEWFEMYBM5FDMICNN67H2VRU-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - FIFA President Press Conference\" title=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__medium-grey__3A_RT text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__caption__3L8vY article-image__figcaption__ttQIt\">Soccer Football &#8211; FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 &#8211; FIFA President Press Conference &#8211; Main Media Center, Doha, Qatar &#8211; November 19, 2022 FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a press conference REUTERS\/Matthew Childs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-6\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;But I feel like it, because I know what it means to be discriminated, to be bullied, as a foreigner in a foreign country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-7\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">LGBT rights have been a touchstone issue for critics of the tournament because same-sex relations are illegal and punishable by up to three years of jail-time in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-8\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;Judging by social media, your comments that you feel gay has caused some surprise to many in the gay community,&#8221; one journalist later noted before asking Infantino a question.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-9\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;Because, they are saying, that if you really were gay you would not be able to say that because you would be admitting to effectively illegality.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-10\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">FIFA&#8217;s director of media relations Bryan Swanson, however, concluded the news conference with a personal message of support for his boss.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-11\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen a lot of criticism of Gianni Infantino since I&#8217;ve joined FIFA, in particular from the LGBTI community,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"paragraph-12\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">&#8220;I&#8217;m sitting here in a privileged position on a global stage as a gay man here in Qatar. He has received assurances that everyone will be welcome &#8230; Just because Gianni Infantino is not gay, does not mean he does not care. He does care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"Text\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__default__UPMUu sign-off__text__PU3Aj\">Reporting by Nick Mulvenney<br \/>\nEditing by Frances Kerry<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"Body\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__base__22dCE body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI\">Our Standards: <a data-testid=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonreuters.com\/en\/about-us\/trust-principles.html\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__medium__1kbOh text__large__nEccO link__underline_default__2prE_\" rel=\"noopener\">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 19 (Reuters) &#8211; FIFA President Gianni Infantino raised eyebrows on Saturday when he attempted to show empathy with<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1745835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1745832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1745832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1745835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1745832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1745832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1745832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}