Gianni Infantino’s joke about British fans not ‘helpful or accurate’ – UK police

By Jamie Gardner, Press Association Chief Sports Reporter

FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s joke about British fans’ behaviour at the Qatar World Cup was “neither helpful nor accurate”, the UK’s football policing lead has said.

Infantino aimed a jibe at British supporters during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying the Qatar finals in 2022 were special because “no Brit was arrested”.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the football policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told the Press Association: “Whilst these things may be said in jest, it is neither helpful or accurate to make this sort of comment.

“For the record, ‘British’ fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special.

“In Qatar (there were) no arrests of English or Welsh fans, in Russia – three England fans were arrested for very minor offences. (In) Brazil – 15 arrests – of which seven were touts – and South Africa (saw) seven arrests for minor matters.

“Given the high number of fans who travel and pay a lot of money to get to World Cups, there are many, many other countries who are more problematic for hosts.”

Infantino spoke about the Qatar World Cup as he sought to allay fears around the staging of this summer’s finals in North America, in particular the United States where domestic tensions are high.

He said there had been “a lot of critics” of the Qatar finals, but added: “When the ball started rolling and the magic started, we had virtually no incidents.

“For the first time in history also, no Brit was arrested during a World Cup. Imagine! This is something really, really special.”

The Football Supporters’ Association said on Thursday that Infantino should focus on providing cheap tickets, rather than making cheap jokes at fans’ expense.

FIFA has been contacted for comment.