FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stated that football will undergo significant changes once the Coronavirus pandemic comes to an end.
Football worldwide has been severely impacted by the virus, leading to the suspension of football leagues across Europe, Asia, South America, North America and even Africa in efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
Highly lucrative events such as the Euros, Champions League, Europa League, and even the Olympics have been postponed due to the virus, prompting major clubs to negotiate pay cuts with their players in order to sustain their operations amidst the financial losses incurred during this period of inactivity.
Infantino, the president of FIFA, has emphasized that football will be different when it resumes.
“Football will make a comeback and when it does, we will collectively celebrate emerging from a nightmare,” Infantino stated in an interview with the Italian news agency ANSA.
“However, there is one lesson that both you and I must have learned: the football that will emerge after the virus will be entirely different—more inclusive, more socially oriented, and more supportive. It will be more connected to individual countries, yet simultaneously more global; less arrogant and more welcoming.”
He added, “We will be better, more humane, and more attentive to true values.”