Gianni Infantino tried to shift attention from Qatar to football on Saturday, but it seemed like a last-ditch effort and no longer a plea.
The Fifa president launched a tirade against the West on the eve of the tournament's opening match between the hosts and Ecuador, accusing them of hypocrisy in their close examination of this tiny Gulf state, which is hosting the biggest football party in the world.
Ever since it was chosen to host the World Cup 12 years ago, Qatar has been in the news. While the legitimacy of that award was questioned from the start, leading to an investigation that toppled the previous Fifa hierarchy, Qatar has been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding the rights of migrant workers, the treatment of LGBTQ people, the sale of alcohol, the viability of hosting a World Cup in such a small nation, as well as the timing of it.
"I feel Qatari today. I feel Arab today. My current mood is African. I feel homosexual today. I feel unable today. In his opening remarks, he stated, "Today I feel like a migrant worker. How has Qatar addressed these issues by improving its labour laws? Everyone is welcome at the tournament, regardless of race, color, or sexual orientation.
The Fifa president noted Europe's problems accepting migrants, its difficulty accepting homosexuality, and its long-standing opposition to granting women the right to vote. He said: "What we Europeans have been doing for the past 3,000 years, we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before we start giving moral lessons to people."
It was passionate and unrestrained. It was a unique way to kick off the World Cup, but Infantino was certain of one thing: "Once the action gets going, the attention will be on football."
FIFA and the Qatari organisers have long desired this. Finally, the time has come.
In reality, the topic of how the World Cup would unfold didn't even come up until an hour after Infantino finished speaking.
The Fifa Technical Study Group then ascended the stage on the same pedestal that Infantino was seated on, under the direction of its Chief of Global Football Development, Arsene Wenger.
The illustrious former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, stated that "football has evolved a lot and every four years we confront something new." "The World Cup in Russia taught us that winning does not require more ball control. The teams who get to the final will be extremely skilled technically.
59.542 SRY