Why FIFA president Gianni Infantino's ‘no Brit arrested’ Qatar World Cup joke angered England fans

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing strong criticism from England fans after making a remark about British supporters during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. What may have been intended as a joke has instead angered fan groups and football authorities in England.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Infantino referred to concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup in North America and past criticism of Qatar 2022. He said, “For the first time in history, no Brit was arrested during a World Cup,” before adding jokingly that it was “really, really special.” The comment drew laughter in the room but did not go down well in England.

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) criticised Infantino, accusing him of making “cheap jokes” at the expense of England fans. England supporters have spent years trying to move on from their troubled past at international tournaments, especially after hooliganism incidents at Euro 2000, which badly damaged the country’s reputation.

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What do the statistics show?

As per statistics shared by the BBC, recent World Cups show that Infantino’s comment was misleading. England fans have had very few arrests at World Cups before Qatar. At the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, only one arrest was made among around 8,000 travelling fans. In Germany in 2006, there were 21 football-related arrests out of 350,000 fans attending matches and fan parks.

There were no arrests involving England fans at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the 2014 tournament in Brazil, there were 15 arrests, none of them for violence. The 2018 World Cup in Russia saw six arrests among 20,000 England supporters.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, around 4,000 England fans travelled, and as Infantino stated, there were no arrests involving England or Wales supporters. However, when looked at over six World Cups, only 55 arrests were recorded from over 430,000 travelling fans.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the national lead for football policing in England, told the British media outlet that Infantino’s comments were neither helpful nor accurate. “British fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special. While these things may be said in jest, it is neither helpful nor accurate to make this sort of comment."

However, England fans have had hooliganism issues at European Championships in the past and at domestic Premier League matches. Incidents at Euro 2016 in France and the chaotic scenes at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley and clashes with Portuguese police at Euro 2004 have created these stereotypes.

Infantino’s comment has come just months before the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.