FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Which: REUTERS
The closeness of the world football association to the World Cup host Qatar has been heavily criticized for some time. Now it’s getting even more absurd: Fifa President Gianni Infantino has apparently moved the center of his life to the emirate.
Et is a move with a tasteless aftertaste. According to a report in the Swiss newspaper “SonntagsBlick”, Fifa President Gianni Infantino has moved into a new home ten months before the World Cup.
The Swiss has moved to the host country Qatar with his family. According to the report, Infantino has lived mostly in Doha since last October. The newspaper had been researching for weeks.
Gianni Infantino has been FIFA President since 2016 and has now moved to Qatar
Source: dpa/Pradeep Dambarage
Ironically, to Qatar. Ever since the World Cup was awarded to the emirate state, there have been speculations about allegations of corruption against the world soccer association. President Infantino in particular is repeatedly under fire because he downplays human rights violations in the country.
So now the move. Two of his four daughters are already registered for school in Qatar. Fifa admitted to the “SonntagsBlick” newspaper that Infantino had rented a house with his family. The association had previously vehemently denied rumors about Infantino’s move, according to “Blick”.
Now it says: As Fifa President, Infantino often has to be on site to help organize the tournament. Fifa insiders deny this. Since the scandals surrounding Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter, the president has only had representational duties.
Recently, Infantino has also been increasingly targeted by the judiciary. Two special investigators from the Swiss federal government are currently conducting criminal proceedings against the most powerful man in world football.
Amnesty denounces human rights abuses in World Cup host country Qatar
A good year before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International has again criticized the working conditions for construction workers in the emirate. Qatar has introduced a number of reforms since 2017, but these are not being adequately implemented.
The President had met the Swiss Federal Prosecutor Michael Lauber several times. Among other things, Lauber also investigated FIFA because of the World Cup award to Qatar. Infantino met the federal prosecutor in Bern’s Hotel Schweizerhof. The hotel is owned by the Emirate of Qatar. The country’s embassy is directly adjacent to a meeting room in the hotel.
The “SonntagsBlick” writes that Infantino was obviously uncomfortable with the whole move. In a statement, a spokesman for the world association emphasizes that the president will continue to work at the headquarters in Zurich and will continue to pay taxes in Switzerland. He spends half his working hours in Doha, the statement said.
The house in the Qatari capital allows him to spend a lot of time with his family. Fifa insiders report, however, that Infantino is only very rarely seen in Zurich. That annoys many, according to the report of the “SonntagsBlick”.
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