Infantino apologises to British fans and defends Trump peace prize

Fifa president Gianni Infantino apologised for remarks about British fans and defended awarding a peace prize to US president Donald Trump. He had said at last months World Economic Forum in Davos that the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 had been special because “for the first time in history no Brit was arrested”.

The Football Supporters Association called the comment a “cheap” joke at the expense of fans, while Mark Roberts, the UKs football policing lead chief constable, said they were “neither helpful nor ­accurate”, given the record of fans at tournaments before Qatar and since.

Asked about the remarks in an interview with Sky News, Infantino said: “I need first to apologise. It was meant to be more of a lighthearted remark to show that actually the World Cup in Qatar was a celebration, was a peaceful event and everyone came together in a ­peaceful way.