Gary Neville took aim at Gianni Infantino for his pre-tournament press conference during an appearance on Qatar-owned beIN SPORTS for the 2022 World Cup.
The Manchester United icon has come under fire for his decision to appear as a pundit on beIN SPORTS, who are owned and operated by the Qatari media group beIN, having been so openly critical about many of the human rights issues surrounding the competition.
However, Neville had also stated that he would not shy away from speaking about the various controversies blighting Qatar 2022 despite working with a broadcaster so intrinsically linked with the host nation.
And as part of his work surrounding the opening game between Qatar and Ecuador, the 47-year-old was keen to take aim at Infantino for his much-maligned speech to the world press over the weekend.
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What did Infantino say in his speech?
Infantino had ruffled feathers across the globe by stating: “Today I have strong feelings. Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled.
“Today I feel a migrant worker. And I feel this because what I have seen and it brings me back to my personal story. I’m a son of migrant workers.
“My parents were working very, very hard and in very, very difficult conditions — not in Qatar, in Switzerland. I remember as a child how migrant workers were treated when they looked for work and I remember what happened with their passports.”
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What happened to Neville’s comments?
And Neville certainly didn’t pull any punches when it came to his reaction to Infantino’s comments, firing back with a cutting analysis that was duly posted out on beIN Sports’ Twitter page.
At least, initially it was, because the Daily Mail can confirm that the Qatari-owned channel later took down the video showcasing Neville’s comments despite it having amassed a huge number of views.
While the reasons for the deletion are hitherto unapparent, it’s hard not to try and put two and two together in your head and decree that beIN Sports aren’t best pleased with Neville criticising an Infantino speech that set out to defend Qatar 2022, never mind sharing it on their social accounts.
But what is it exactly that Neville said? Well, just because the footage has been taken down, it doesn’t mean that the Mail didn’t lock down his comments before they were wiped from Twitter.
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester United v West Ham United – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – October 30, 2022 Former player and TV pundit Gary Neville is seen before the match REUTERS/Peter Powell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
What did Neville say about Infantino?
And according to the British newspaper, Neville had said about Infantino: “He’s a terrible face for football. Some of the things he said yesterday were inappropriate and shouldn’t be said by him.
“He should be bringing people together. He’s the global representative of football. He shouldn’t be answering to one or two nations, which is what he seemed to be doing yesterday. He’s got to rise above it.
“Some of his language yesterday was an absolute scandal. He shouldn’t be using that kind of language. He shouldn’t be using those phrases.”
The ex-England right-back then added: “I’m sick of these leaders, like (Boris) Johnson, like (Donald) Trump, like Infantino, like (Sepp) Blatter who don’t unite, they divide.
“All their language is about division. Even though they try and think they’re bringing people together they’re not.”
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – FIFA President Press Conference – Main Media Center, Doha, Qatar – November 19, 2022 FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a press conference REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Well, well, well, it’s going to be very interesting to see whether or not Neville will continue to make comments like these throughout the World Cup and what beIN Sports might do about it.
At the end of the day, it couldn’t be any clearer that there is a certain level of tension simmering away under the surface at Qatar 2022 such is the level of controversy surrounding the tournament.
And it seems as though the interests of Neville and beIN Sports rubbing against one another might be one of the battlegrounds on which that debate plays out in front of the public eye.
You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here.
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Gary Neville’s deleted reaction to Infantino’s speech
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