FIFA President Infantino Calls For Ceasefire During World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino have called on world leaders todialogue to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Infantino made the plea to world leaders in Indonesia during the 17th Group of Twenty (G20).

Addressing G-20, Infantino said: “Football is a force for good. We are not naïve to believe that football can solve the world’s problems. We know that our main focus as a sports organisationis and should be sports, but 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.”

“Russia hosted the last World Cup in 2018, and Ukraine is bidding to host the World Cup in 2030. Maybe, the current World Cup, starting in five days, can really be that positive trigger. So 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 humanitarian corridors, or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace. You are the world leaders; you have the ability to influence the course of history…” he added.

“Football and the Fifa World Cup are offering you and the world a unique platform of unity and peace all over the world,” President Infantino added. “So let’s take this opportunity to do everything we can to start putting an end to all conflicts.”

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ starts on Sunday 20 November, when the host nation takes on Ecuador at Al BaytStadium.