World Cup organizers have rejected a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to deliver a message ahead of the tournament’s final. Zelensky had asked to share a plea for world peace ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final but was turned down by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, CNN reported.
FIFA has gone to significant lengths to try and remove elements of politics from the 2022 World Cup, despite the very tournament being a political issue itself due to the nature of where it is being held.
Addressing to the situation, the FIFA authority quoted “We are defending values, we are defending human rights and rights of everyone at the World Cup. Those fans and the billions watching on TV, they have their own problems. They just want to watch 90 or 120 minutes without having to think about anything, but just enjoying a little moment of pleasure and joy. We have to give them a moment when they can forget about their problems and enjoy football.”
