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Fifa president Gianni Infantino showered Russia with praise for hosting the “best World Cup ever” and stated that football could play an important role in bridging the gap between some countries.
The Fifa chief was the centre of attention in one of the early sessions at the 13th Dubai International Sports Conference on Wednesday.
But the Swiss said the importance of football was proved when he was invited to address the G20 leaders last year.
“I was invited few months ago on behalf of the world football community to address the G20. I got to speak to them about the economic and social impact of football. This is exactly the same topic we are discussing here in this conference,” the 48-year-old Swiss football official said.
“It was a huge moment, you know, because football is more than a game. Some of these leaders were thinking that it was a bit unusual to have the Fifa chief talk to them about football, but actually everyone found out that it was not so unusual because football has the potential to address some of the challenges of modern society.
“Football also breaks barriers. In 2002, South Korea and Japan cohosted the World Cup. In 2010, when South Africa hosted the World Cup, the whole African continent was proud.
“In 2018, the world discovered a new Russia. And in 2026, three countries — the US, Mexico and Canada — will co-host the tournament. Some of these countries have had some issues in politics, but they will still co-host the World Cup. So this sends a strong message and these are the messages that only football can deliver,” he added.
“Of course, I am not that naïve to believe that football can change the world. But football can certainly contribute to the efforts in making this world a better place.”
Infantino then praised Russia for hosting a beautiful World Cup in 2018. “Russia was the best World Cup ever because the football was great and because we discovered a country that delivered a beautiful tournament, built beautiful stadiums and showed beautiful hospitality,” he said.
“Their national team also performed very well. And then the Croatian fairy tale was one of the most beautiful football stories. Who could have thought that such a small country could do so well in such a big event?”
While admitting that Fifa was still open to the idea of expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams, Infantino said the goal of making the tournament a 48-team affair from 2026 onwards was to give all the countries a better chance to participate in the biggest sporting event. “The 48-team World Cup gives a great boost to a lot of countries. It
gives them a better chance to participate. Now Asia have four-and-ahalf slots in the World Cup. But from 2026, they will have eight-and-ahalf slots. That’s a huge opportunity for a lot of countries. This will make the world happy,” he said.
Finally, the former Uefa official opened up on the introduction of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in the 2018 World Cup.
“I was skeptical about VAR at the beginning. But we tried this about two-and-a-half years ago and when we finally introduced it in a World Cup, it helped the game,” he said.
“See what people sometimes don’t acknowledge is that the referee’s job is very difficult. It’s very easy for us to criticise them for a mistake. But they are also human. And VAR has really made their job easier.”
Football also breaks barriers. In 2002, South Korea and Japan cohosted the World Cup Gianni Infantino