By Denis Dau Karam
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, in his statement last Tuesday, expressed that "the 2018 World Cup is not at risk". However, such testimony is not in line with the reality of the host country, Russia, which has clearly demonstrated its support for Syria, a nation that has been under joint bombings by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom this month. This is a concern not only for the world of football, but for all human beings.
This concern is shared by all the countries that have qualified for this global event. We believe that if this armed conflict continues, the most appropriate and healthy course of action for the sport, especially for football, would be to suspend the World Cup.
We read daily news reports in the press and watch through the German channel DW in Spanish news that discomforts the global community. We hope that this conflict will have a prompt solution, but given the circumstances, both the United States and Russia will need to take a considerable amount of time to regain harmony, which is currently unpredictable.
Nobody, and especially the fans, wants the World Cup to be suspended. We applaud FIFA for its optimism in organizing the event, but what person would want their loved one to be a participant in this tournament when, God forbid, riskier moments of the conflict approach?
The tournament is scheduled from June 14th to July 15th. We are only 54 days away from its splendid opening and the first matches, so we ask ourselves: Can a definitive solution to the conflict be reached in such a short time? We hope so, but the reality could be different.
It is not a dilemma, but if within the next 20 days the situation remains bleak, it would be better for the World Cup to be postponed, to be held in the same Russia or another country, with the same qualifying teams.
"Football is synonymous with peace and while it is absent, the ball should not roll…" (O)