During his speech at the G20 summit, the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, asked for assistance in establishing a truce between Ukraine and Russia during the 2022 World Cup.
This is reported by The Guardian.
The soccer official called the upcoming World Cup a "unique platform for peace" and a potential "positive boost" for ceasefire efforts. At the same time, the head of FIFA did not call Russia an aggressor, but actually equated its role with Ukraine.
"My request to you is to consider a temporary ceasefire for a month during the World Cup, or at least the implementation of some humanitarian corridors and something that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step towards peace. You are world leaders, you have the opportunity to influence the course of history," said Infantino.
The Swiss sports official was repeatedly criticized for his sympathy for Russia. In particular, he actively promoted the preservation of the status of the host of the World Cup 2018 for the Russian Federation after the occupation of Crimea and certain regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In the winter of 2019, he received the Russian Order of Friendship from the hands of Putin.
At the FIFA congress in March, the organization managed by Infantino did not exclude Russia from its ranks, despite the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Instead, then the officials decided to give Russian the status of one of the official languages of FIFA.