FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered an eye-opening press conference on Saturday during which he came to the defense of Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, which gets underway on Nov. 21. In his bizarre media address, Infantino addressed the long-lasting criticisms fans and media members have had over FIFA's decision to host the World Cup in Qatar. It was his opening comments that were truly perplexing, however.

“Today I feel Qatari,” Infantino said at the onset of his World Cup press conference in Qatar on Saturday. “Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.”

When it was mentioned to him that he left women out of that part of his speech, he quickly added that, “I feel like a woman.”

Infantino defended Qatar amid claims of human rights violations and even complimented the nation on its use of migrant workers to construct the stadiums used for the World Cup tournament. It's been well known that migrant workers in Qatar were forced to work in extremely unsafe labor conditions. Reports indicate “thousands” of migrant workers died in the process of constructing the stadiums, though the Qatari government lists the official count of deaths related to the World Cup stadium projects at just 37.

He also defended the nation's stance on gay rights, including its laws that criminalize homosexuality, asking “How many gay people were prosecuted in Europe?”

Infantino's comments come amid the latest wave of criticisms over the World Cup in Qatar. After credentialed Danish media members were threatened for filming in a public area and the event walked back its plans to serve beer at stadiums, Infantino's remarks will certainly be eye-opening.

Gianni Infantino is set to run unopposed at the next set of elections in March of 2023, meaning he'll be the FIFA president for at least another four years.