Infantino: “What I said at the Council of Europe was misinterpreted, it was a more general remark”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has issued a clarifying statement on what he said before the Council of Europe about the plan to hold the World Cup every two years.

Linking the immigration issue to the World Cup, the Italian-Swiss lawyer stressed that the event was an “incentive” to reduce migration flows from Africa to Europe. Infantino stressed that this was a more general comment and that it does not only concern Africa, while not directly related to the holding of the World Cup every two years.

“In light of some of my reports to the Council of Europe today which appear to have been misinterpreted and conveyed beyond the general context, I would like to make it clear that my general message in my speech is that everyone who is able has to take a stand the responsibility to improve the situation of people around the world.

When there are more opportunities, including Africa, but of course not only on this continent, people will be able to take advantage of those opportunities in their own countries. It was a more general remark, not directly related to the possibility of playing the World Cup every two years‘ Gianni Infantino explicitly stated in a post on FIFA Twitter