FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Saturday used his opening press conference of the World Cup in Qatar to slam media critics of the host nation, singling out European outlets for their "hypocrisy."

In an impassioned hourlong monologue, the 52-year-old Swiss railed against the media's focus on the rights of foreign workers, LGBTQ people and women in the conservative Middle Eastern nation, calling for engagement instead of editorializing.

"Let's look at ourselves in the mirror to see where we come from and try to convince others by engaging, that is the only thing I ask you," he said at the tournament's main media center in Doha.

"Engage, help, don't divide, try to unite...The world is divided enough, we are organizing a World Cup, not a war."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a press conference in Doha on Nov. 19, 2022, on the eve of the opening of the World Cup football finals. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Infantino highlighted the progress made since Qatar was named World Cup host by his predecessor Sepp Blatter in 2010, pointing to improved safety for the large number of foreign workers, many from India and other parts of developing Asia, who built stadiums, hotels and other infrastructure.

He said working standards in Qatar were now comparable to Europe, which "was not the case 10 years ago," and urged patience, repeatedly referring to a "process" being undertaken in the host nation.

Taking aim at the negative coverage, much of which has come from European media, Infantino was scathing.

"I think for what we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people," he said.

"Here in Qatar...there are still some things that don't work, and they need to be addressed, but this moral-lesson-giving...is just hypocrisy."

Qatar has established a workers and insurance support fund that has paid out some $350 million dollars since its establishment in 2018, he added, while touting a legacy fund FIFA will use to support education projects around the world.

On the backflip regarding the sale of alcohol in stadiums, Infantino said the change was made due to the strains caused by hosting a 32-team tournament effectively in one city, something that has never been attempted before.

He said the movement of people within the city, especially when there are four games on in a single day, proved too difficult a challenge to surmount.

After 90 minutes in which Infantino defended much ground, there was a moment of genuine honesty that brought quiet across the hundreds of gathered media who were preparing to leave the press conference.

FIFA Director of Media Relations Bryan Swanson, who was sitting on stage next to Infantino throughout, declared that as a gay man, he can guarantee Infantino genuinely cares about LGBTQ issues, declaring, "You see the public face, I see the private side."