FIFA President Gianni Infantino is calling for a ceasefire in the Russia – Ukraine war for the duration of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Infantino made the comments on a trip from the Arabian Gulf to Indonesia for the Group of 20 meeting.
The World Cup could be “that positive trigger,” Infantino said, for seeking peace after nearly nine months of what FIFA described as “conflict in Russia and Ukraine.”
“We are not naive to believe that football can solve the world’s problems,” the FIFA president told delegates from the world’s political heavyweight nations in Geneva.
“So my plea, to all of you, is to think on a temporary ceasefire, for one month, for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, or at least the implementation of some humanitarian corridors, or anything that could lead to the resumption of dialogue as a first step to peace,” Infantino said.
The proposal echoed the aims of the Olympic Truce — a United Nations-backed modern renewal of the tradition to cease fighting and grant safe passage to the games in ancient Greece.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, four days after the closing ceremony at the Beijing Winter Games.
