Prior to the start of the World Cup final on Sunday, FIFA rejected a request from Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, to deliver a message of world peace.
The 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina will take place in Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, and millions of viewers throughout the world are expected to attend.
In February 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and a worsening of the country’s continuing refugee issue. Since the invasion, Zelensky has tried to leverage global events to galvanize support for Ukraine and keep the spotlight on the conflict there.
According to CNN, before the game, his office offered to be on a video for supporters in the Lusail Stadium. According to the report, negotiations between Ukraine and the organization that governs the sport are still ongoing. Despite the fact that the 2022 World Cup itself is a political matter because of where it is being held, FIFA has gone to great measures to try and keep politics out of the event.
Given Qatar’s questionable human rights record, particularly in regards to how they handle migrant labor and the LGBTQ+ population, FIFA has been under heavy fire for permitting them to host the World Cup.
In order to convey a message of unity, diversity, and inclusivity, several European nations, including England, wanted to wear a “OneLove” captain’s armband in the Middle East. However, that plan was abandoned a few hours prior to the Three Lions’ inaugural match due to warnings that players would receive a yellow card for wearing the armband.
Even though FIFA and UEFA permitted Russia to host the competition in 2018, their invasion of Ukraine led to a ban on all Russian football clubs and national teams from participating in their competitions.
