Football: FIFA President answers his critics
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has told critics of his leadership and the World Cup to “meditate, pray or watch a football match instead of spreading hate and false rumours".
He added that the World Cup “celebrated humanity at its best" and that the tournament had "100% safety and security, only joy and happiness".
It has also been announced that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not be investigating Infantino for any possible breaches of political neutrality, stating that the complaint brought by FairSquare, the human rights campaign group, falls outside the jurisdiction of the IOC Ethics Commission.
The IOC has stated that:
"The current complaint, with regard to the FIFA president, refers only to the international federation's decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the international federation's implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC code of ethics."
It may be noted that in Chapter 2, the Olympic Charter provides that:
"Members of the IOC will not accept from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote."
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
