Published 09.19
Germany is charging for the World Cup premiere against Curacao, but the interest among is low and the criticism of Fifa’s president harsh.
– Infantino has taken uncompromisingness and shamelessness to an even higher level, says former national team player Thomas Hitzlsperger.
He is merciless in his statements before the World Cup in the United States and tough on the president of the International Football Association Gianni Infantino.
– You can see how Infantino fights every day to make the WC a success. He twists and turns in every direction to please US President Donald Trump. He does this to avoid moving matches and to be able to allow Iran to remain in the tournament. He is trying to organize a great championship, which is also Fifa’s mission, their job. But given the paths he has chosen to take in recent years, it is completely legitimate to criticize him for that, says Hitzlsperger in a long interview with the German newspaper World.
– It is quite brutal, because neither he, I think, can say with one hundred percent certainty: “This will be a safe World Cup where everyone is warmly welcome.” But even if it doesn’t turn out to be a good World Cup, he will still find a way to say: “It was the best World Cup ever.”
According to the former midfielder, who played for Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Everton, among others, Infantino has not only followed the path of the former chairman Sepp Blatter chose He has also taken it a step further.
Blatter, who led Fifa between 1998 and 2015, was banned from all football for eight years following a corruption scandal in December 2015.
– He was able to observe Sepp Blatter for many years and has since taken the uncompromisingness and shamelessness to an even higher level. You just have to repeat something enough times to people until they finally start to believe it. It’s a kind of Fifa doctrine where I think: Okay, the organization has managed to grow bigger and bigger and raise more and more money. Journalists and fans can complain as much as they want, in the end we still go there, Hitzlsperger continues.
Ban on reusable water bottles
He believes that the only way to bring about change is to stop buying tickets and not turning on the television to follow the championship. According to a survey conducted by the German television channel ARD, interest in the soccer World Cup is lower than in a very long time. Only ten percent of Germans state that they are very interested in the championship in the United States, while 37 percent do not care at all.
– We criticize and still go there. That is what Infantino has understood. Football is impossible to destroy. Therefore, he and Fifa can continue to act as they do, because there will be no consequences, claims Hitzlsperger.
– After all, there are very few who are really consistent, give up football and say: “I’m not going to pay anymore.” It is reality, he knows it, and he has perfected the art of exploiting it.
In the run-up to the World Cup, the organizers have received harsh criticism for high ticket prices, the enormous distances, strict entry rules and the fact that spectators are not allowed to bring any water bottles into the arenas for safety reasons, despite concerns about the high temperatures.
The research group World Weather Attribution writes in a report that the temperature during 26 of the championship’s 104 matches will exceed 26 degrees. Fifa explains that it has introduced measures such as fogging systems with water vapor, drinking water stations, cooling tents and fans, and that bottled water will be sold inside the arenas at prices that “correspond to the prices at other events in the respective arenas”.
FIFA has eased the ban on water bottles, and spectators are now still allowed to bring a small, soft, factory-sealed disposable bottle into the arena. However, it is not permitted to bring reusable bottles.
