Present at the G20 in Bali, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, for his part, called on Tuesday to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the planetary event.
“My appeal to all of you is to consider a month-long temporary ceasefire for the duration of the World Cup,” he said during a lunch with G20 leaders. .
“We are not so naive as to think that football can solve the world’s problems,” he conceded. But the World Cup offers a unique platform, offering an “opportunity to do everything possible to end all conflicts”, he pleaded, recalling that Russia had organized the World Cup-2018 and that Ukraine was a candidate to host the competition in 2030 with Spain and Portugal.
With only a few days to prepare for their first match, the 32 selections will have little time to acclimatize to the heat or even to their temporary living environment in the Qatari desert.
And, in the tense extra-sporting context of this World Cup, whether it’s about human rights, such as discrimination against LGBTQ people, or environmental issues, every word or every action will be scrutinized. .
What will be, for example, the attitude of the Danes during their first training when they were banned last Thursday by the International Federation (Fifa) from wearing a pro-human rights jersey in training?
– Australia closes debate –
They have certainly announced that they would comply with the dress instructions of Fifa. But will they bring up the subject once their feet are on Qatari soil?
Or will they do like the Australians, who warned on Monday on their arrival that they would no longer raise the subject, a few days after the broadcast of a video in which they openly criticized Qatar for the non-respect of human rights?
On Monday, during their first press conference in Doha, they briefly returned to the subject… to close it at least for the duration of the competition.
“What we said in that video was said, what needed to be heard was heard, and now, quite frankly, we’re just dealing with football, we don’t really talk about any of that anymore,” the striker explained. Mitchell Duke from Socceroos base camp.
The Netherlands and England will go on Thursday to meet the migrant workers who participated in the organization of this World Cup as part of a program orchestrated by Fifa and Qatar.
The host country and the governing body of world football have indeed planned “social” activities to allow volunteers, workers or amateur players to rub shoulders with the stars of the World Cup for an hour.
Another country to pack its bags in the Gulf on Tuesday: Ecuador. The South Americans, who made a “stop” in Spain to refine their preparation this weekend, will quickly have to get into the bath as they will have the always impressive honor of facing the host country in the match of open on Sunday (7 p.m. local, 5 p.m. in Paris).
The controversies could also come from the sky. Thus, Germany left Frankfurt on Monday for the Gulf aboard a Lufthansa plane bearing a message in favor of diversity.
The German company painted the slogan “Diversity wins” (diversity wins, editor’s note) on the fuselage of the plane, a snub to the country organizing the world, criticized since its designation by defenders of human rights and the environment.
– Departure watch for the Blues –
For its part, France is spending its last day at home on Tuesday, in its Clairefontaine castle, before taking off on Wednesday for Doha, where it will have five days to prepare for its entry into the competition against Australia.
The world champions will take advantage of this day to pose for posterity with the famous and always awaited official photo.
They will also have a final training session, during which they will meet some invited supporters.
Wednesday will be the big start for Qatar and the defense of a title which was further complicated with the package on Monday of Presnel Kimpembe, one of the leaders of the Tricolores, replaced by the Monegasque Axel Disasi, never called by Didier Deschamps so far.
The surprise arrival of striker Marcus Thuram, 26th and last selected, further strengthens an impressive attacking squad.
