FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged world leaders on Tuesday to call for a ceasefire in RussiaтАЩs war against Ukraine during the World Cup that starts this week.
Just days after asking World Cup teams to avoid the political and human rights issues swirling around host nation Qatar and focus just on soccer, Infantino seemed to stray from his own advice on a trip from the Arabian Gulf to Indonesia for the Group of 20 meeting.
The World Cup that starts Sunday could be тАЬthat positive trigger,тАЭ Infantino said, for seeking peace after nearly nine months of what FIFA described as тАЬconflict in Russia and Ukraine.тАЭ
тАЬWe are not na├пve to believe that football can solve the worldтАЩs problems,тАЭ the FIFA president told delegates from the worldтАЩs political heavyweight nations.
тАЬSo my plea, to all of you, is to think on a temporary ceasefire, for one month, for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, or at least the implementation of some humanitarian corridors, or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace,тАЭ Infantino said.
The proposal echoed the aims of the Olympic Truce тАФ a United Nations-backed modern renewal of the tradition to cease fighting and grant safe passage to the games in ancient Greece.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, four days after the closing ceremony at the Beijing Winter Games.
Infantino, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee, did not directly condemn Russia or refer to President Vladimir Putin. Infantino and Putin worked closely together before and during RussiaтАЩs hosting of the 2018 World Cup, which the FIFA president praised at the time for showing a new and welcoming side of the country.
It was unclear if a ceasefire would be welcomed by UkraineтАЩs people and its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who addressed the G-20 summit by video link. He called for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops and giving back Ukrainian control of its territory
тАЬUkraine should not be offered to conclude compromises with its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence,тАЭ Zelenskyy said. тАЬAnd if Russia says that it supposedly wants to end this war, let it prove it with actions.тАЭ
With ZelenskyyтАЩs backing, UkraineтАЩs soccer federation has teamed with Spain and Portugal in bidding to jointly host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal. A host for that tournament will be picked in 2024.
Infantino added that тАЬwe know that our main focus as a sports organization is and should be sports.тАЭ
тАЬBut because football unites the world, this particular FIFA World Cup, with five billion people watching it, can be a trigger for a positive gesture, for a sign or a message of hope,тАЭ Infantino said.
The most political World Cup of the modern era arrives at a time of turmoil on the streets in Iran after the death in September of a 22-year-old woman earlier detained by the countryтАЩs morality police.
Iran begins its World Cup campaign Monday against England тАФ and later plays the United States in Group B тАФ and some players have openly supported the protests at home.
тАЬEverybody has the right to express themselves.тАЭ the teamтАЩs Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz said Tuesday at a news conference, adding it was not a distraction.
тАЬIt is out of (the) question to think that the Iran national team is suffering any sort of issues like that. They want to make history,тАЭ Queiroz said. Iran has never advanced from the group stage at a World Cup.
