About as strong as it gets from RTE commentator.
George Hamilton has taken aim at Fifa and Gianni Infantino, specifically for his antics after the World Cup final.
After Argentina and France played out one of the greatest games in footballing history, Lionel Messi was set to do what he has been trying to do for his entire career.
Having won Player of the Tournament at a World Cup for the second time, this time around he was about to lift the real thing.
At what will likely be his final World Cup, Messi was about to do the most historic thing of his career, and lift the World Cup trophy.
But before he could do that, he had to escape the grip of Infantino, who wanted to be as involved as possible.
Infantino, who has been a controversial figure at this World Cup for a number of reasons, including his ‘Today I feel like a migrant worker’ speech, was not leaving Messi alone, much to the frustration of football fans around the world.
Messi was finally left to lift the trophy with his team, but not before he was asked to wear a Bisht, a traditional garment of honour.
George Hamilton on Gianni Infantino
However, Hamilton criticised the entire incident, and referred to the white-runners-wearing Infantino as a “clown”.
He wrote: “The Fifa World Cup captured in one pic by Dan Mullan. A masterpiece. The vainglorious clown in his sponsored runners. The man it was all about, obliged to don the sponsor’s cloak to cover his national shirt. And the smiling benefactor. Sport has gone to hell in a handcart.”
The #FIFAWorldCup captured in one pic by @Dan_Mullan A masterpiece. The vainglorious clown in his sponsored runners. The man it was all about, obliged to don the sponsor's cloak to cover his national shirt. And the smiling benefactor. Sport has gone to hell in a handcart. pic.twitter.com/AgegvGKJra
— George Hamilton (@HamiltonRTE) December 20, 2022
Hamilton was one of RTE’s primary commentators at the World Cup in Qatar, so to see such a strong message after its conclusion tells you exactly how he felt about the whole thing.
Read next: Simon Jordan continues to stick the boot in on Gary Neville
