March 22 – FIFA has launched the volunteer programme for the 2022 World Cup, with 20,000 places looking to be filled.
At the Katar Amphitheatre in Doha, Qatar, organisers staged a show for potential applicants to the volunteer programme. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who lives in the Qatari capital, as well as the governing body’s secretary-general Fatma Samoura attended the event.
“Volunteers are the heart and the soul of the FIFA World Cup. You are the first face, the first smile that any visitor to Qatar will find when they arrive. Thanks to you, we can show the entire world that Qatar, the Gulf region and the whole Arab world is welcoming the planet for an incredible experience here in November and December this year. The world will unite in Qatar and celebrate a peaceful, wonderful and unforgettable event,” said Infantino.
In a statement, FIFA said that “all selected volunteers will receive training, as well as a limited-edition Adidas uniform along with a meal during their shift and free access to public transport.”
Volunteers will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 17,040 volunteers from 112 countries around the world helped local organisers and FIFA to stage the tournament. They had been selected from a record of 176,870 applicants, according to FIFA figures.
At the closing press conference of the Russia World Cup, Infantino wore a volunteer tracksuit which invited criticism as to the morality of FIFA not paying its volunteers.
He said: “All of those in love with football, and in love with society, have all been volunteers in their lives, in some activities. Sports events around the world are organized with their help. I am here in a volunteer tracksuit to thank the volunteers for their work. Yes, as FIFA president I am paid, but we are all volunteers.”
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