BEVERLY HILLS, February 16, (THEWILL) – Gianni Infantino, President of world football governing body, FIFA, released an official statement on Monday in response to rumours that he instructed female referees at the medal ceremony of the recently concluded Club World Cup in the predominant Islamic country Qatar not to greet a Qatari delegate.
As seen in the video coverage of the ceremony, the Brazilian match officials, Edina Alves Batista and Neuza Back, did not get acknowledged with fist bumps from Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani as their counterpart male referees got.
Soon after, the story made the rounds that it was Infantino himself who passed the instructions to the officials to refrain from fist-bumping the Sheikh as they finished greeting him before they moved on to the Sheikh. However, he came out strongly to deny this claim, insisting he simply offered them his congratulations for their landmark achievements.
Infantino was very pointed in his statement: “Given the lies that have been spread online in relation to what I said to the female officials during the FIFA Club World Cup final medals ceremony, I would like to issue a clarification.”
“I used the opportunity to congratulate them for the great job that they performed throughout the competition. This was a landmark for FIFA – the first time that female officials were appointed to, and officiated at, a men’s senior FIFA competition.
“As everyone knows, I am a strong advocate of women’s rights and equal treatment of every human being, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or physical ability. FIFA’s Statutes explicitly state that FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights, and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.
The head of the world football governing body added: “Those who have been spreading false rumours should be ashamed of their actions.”
Prior to the final, Infantino made his position on the inclusion of female officials in the tournament very clear saying it was “not just a symbolic gesture” and making the point that “Edina and her team of assistants did a fantastic job, and they are here on merit.
“Of course we want to break down more barriers and have more women referees because it sends an important message to the world.”
The story of a member of Qatar’s royal family refusing to acknowledge female officials with a fist bump during a FIFA Club World Cup awards ceremony made the press immediately after the royal, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, “snubbed” only the female referees. The initial claim was that the women followed FIFA’s instructions to simply walk past the royal.
In the debate it elicited online, devout Muslims argued that Islam does not permit physical contact with a person of the opposite sex, with the exception of certain immediate family members. Therefore, it was claimed, the Sheikh was acting according to the dictates of his religion whether the referees were instructed to follow suit or not.
Sheikh Joaan – who handed out the awards alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday – is the younger brother of Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and is the president of Qatar’s Olympic Committee.
FIFA President, who did not issue the referees any such instructions before or during the award ceremony, believed it was necessary to put the facts out and clear the air of further misconceptions and misrepresentation of the facts.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
