FIFA has rejected Ukraine’s request for President Volodimir Zelenski to launch a speech on screens at the Lusail stadium during the preview of the World Cup final on Sunday, according to U.S. broadcaster CNN’s own sources.
This refusal by the sports body surprised the Ukrainian presidency, which thought that «FIFA wanted to use its platform for the common good,» the sources acknowledged.
However, Ukraine and FIFA may still be in talks, so the decision does not seem to be final yet.
Since the outbreak of the war, President Zelenski has made speeches – live or recorded – to numerous international bodies, including the parliaments of much of the international community.
Zelenski has used his speeches to denounce the Russian invasion, which began at the end of February, and to ask the international community for a unanimous denunciation of his neighboring country’s aggression against its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
For its part, FIFA’s refusal to make room for political slogans is in line with its strategy throughout the World Cup in Qatar. The event has aroused international criticism because of the human rights situation in the Gulf country.
