JAKARTA - FIFA President Gianni Infantino stressed that everyone will be welcomed in Qatar when the digital countdown clock is displayed in Doha, Qatar. The countdown clock is to remind one year before the kickoff of the controversial 2022 World Cup and the first to be held in the Middle East.
The opening match will take place on November 21 at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium.
The head of world football's governing body urged LGBTQ football fans and everyone else to attend the tournament and engage decisively in influencing policy in the Gulf Arab country.
"We must not assume that if we stay at home and only criticize, then everything will change. Everything has improved. Everything will continue to improve", Infantino said as quoted by Antara from Reuters on Monday.
In the event taking place on Sunday evening local time, soccer stars such as David Beckham and Samuel Eto'o watched a drone show from the dock in West Bay Doha as organizers promised a spectacular tournament.
But on the sidelines of the event officials got on the defensive on key issues that have plagued the tournament for years such as Qatar's anti-LGBTQ law, the welfare of migrant workers, and allegations of corruption.
Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the 2022 World Cup, defended his country's record at a virtual round table with reporters Saturday night.
"Qatar has been treated and judged unfairly, treated unfairly for years", Al Khater said.
He denied allegations by the US Department of Justice that bribes had been paid to secure votes when Qatar was awarded the right to host the 2010 World Cup.
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He also defended the country's progress on human rights by pointing to recent labor reforms but warned that there was still much work to be done.
Amnesty International recently said that labor reforms in the country have not improved the lives of workers and that practices such as holding wages hostage and requiring workers to change jobs are still commonplace. The Qatari government rejected Amnesty International's findings.
On Friday, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Qatar was not doing enough to investigate and report workers who died in the country.
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