Gianni Infantino speaks during the Dubai International Sports Conference on Monday.

Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino reiterated his comments that football has the healing power and can be ray of hope to take world forward in the time of distress at the Dubai International Sports Conference on Sunday.

When the whole world is reeling under the impact of the pandemic for over a year, people are isolating themselves and social distancing has becomes a new normal it is football that is playing the role of a harbinger and bring the teams, clubs and even nations together.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas, and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski also graced the occasion.

The conference was themed as “Football at the Summit” and held at the footstep of the tallest building of the world – the one only Burj Khalifa.

“Thank you very much. It gives me an immense pleasure to stand here and greet all the greats and dignitaries on this stage. “We are here united and re-united once again by football on this dais. It is a little step in the right direction towards, if not a total normalcy in a pandemic-hit world.

“That’s why it is so important for us to be here, and I would like to thank you all for being here. It is like a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel,’ said Infantino.

FIFA chief also paid rich tributes to the two football greats – Diego Maradona and Paolo Rossi, who passed away recently. Both the players were true legends in their own rights.

“This has been a tough year for all of us. Football lost two great legends, who have left an indelible impression on the game and their names will be enshrined in the echelon of the sport.

“I would like to remember Maradona. He spent a considerable amount of time in Dubai, and he is certainly one of those who made us all fall in love with the game.

“Another legend, who left us is Rossi. I cherish the moments when I used to watch him weaving the magic on field with my parents on TV the 1982 World Cup. He scored six goals in the showpiece event. Rossi also has left us much too early,” lamented the soccer’s governing body head.

How football has been uniting not only people but also the nations was once again evident, when the UAE FA and Israel FA signed an accord recently to contribute to the development of the game together.

Infantino was present at the signing of the deal between the two football bodies, and he said: “I am very happy to be here because another signal of the power of football has been given only recently here in Dubai, two weeks ago or less, where we witnessed the signature of a historic agreement between the UAE FA and the Israel FA, following, of course, the much more important political agreement.

“But it is important that, following politics, we can also have the real life kicking in, and in the UAE and Israel joining forces to develop women’s football, to develop academies, to develop football together sends, I think, a very powerful and strong message, which is what we want to do and continue to do as well in the years to come.

“And for this, we need the help, we need the assistance of all of you because the biggest lesson of football is that it is a team sport. We need the whole team to win our competitions, and our competitions are about developing football and about bringing hope to the entire

He also spoke about how difficult the life has for the whole world. And how a tiny virus proved to be a great leveler, bringing elites, affluent, mighty, poor, distressed and underprivileged all on the same ground.

“This has been a tough year. A year that will be remembered long for the pandemic, because everything came to a halt, because football stopped as well we realised that there is actually something more important than football and that is health,” he added.

“We were not aware, all of us, that so much is dependent on how our health is, how our families and neighbors are, until a virus brough the whole world on its knees.

“We have to thank all the front line heroes, who have been braving this pandemic as volunteers, as medicos and doctors to safe guard our health,” he expressed his gratitude.

“Football can give a message of unity and solidarity and we can again hope. There are million who are praying and their prayers keep us safe.

“FIFA tried to provide a breather in its capacity by rolling out a monetary stimulus for the federations and clubs. The small federations and the clubs,” he informed.