Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has become accustomed to hearing yes when he makes requests of other countries and organizations. His request to deliver a message of peace at the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar today, however, has been rejected. It hasn’t been rejected by Qatar, it’s been rejected by FIFA.

CNN reported on Friday that Zelensky asked to deliver a message of peace via a video link to fans in the stadium in Qatar before the game begins. He was surprised when his request was turned down. “We thought FIFA wanted to use its platform for the greater good,” the source said. At that time, talks were still underway between Ukraine and FIFA.

Zelensky often uses major events to keep the focus on Putin’s war in Ukraine. FIFA, however, has worked to keep political messages out of the tournament. Qatar is the first Middle Eastern nation to host the World Cup tournament.

Zelensky has appeared via video at everything from the Group of 20 Nations summit to the Grammys and the Cannes Film Festival. He’s also done interviews and conversations with a diverse array of journalists and famous entertainers, including Sean Penn and David Letterman, employing the charm and media savvy he developed in the entertainment industry – he was an actor before becoming a politician – to rally support for Ukraine

Qatar has been criticized for its handling of human rights issues, specifically LGBTQ people and migrant workers. There were threats of sanction for any soccer player who wore an armband in support of LGBTQ people and FIFA officials said that any player wearing the armband would receive a yellow card. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino responded to criticism by accusing Europe and Western countries of hypocrisy.

Grant Wahl, a renowned sports journalist, made headlines by wearing a rainbow-themed t-shirt to the stadium and was detained by security. Since then, Wahl died as he covered a match.

Infantino explained that FIFA wants to avoid political statements.

“We are a global organization and we don’t discriminate against anyone,” Infantino said.

“We are defending values, we are defending human rights and rights of everyone at the World Cup. Those fans and the billions watching on TV, they have their own problems. They just want to watch 90 or 120 minutes without having to think about anything, but just enjoying a little moment of pleasure and joy. We have to give them a moment when they can forget about their problems and enjoy football.”

Infantino wants players to “respect football” and not protest on the pitch because fans want to forget their problems during matches. No taking knees on the field in protest.

Germany’s players covered their mouths during a team photo ahead of their group stage match against Japan, and England took a knee before all five of their matches, although that was an anti-discrimination gesture not specifically introduced in relation to issues in Qatar.

“Everyone is free to express his views, his opinion, his beliefs, the way he believes, as long as it’s done in a respectful way.

“When it comes to the pitch, to the field of play, you need to respect football, you need to respect the field of play, and these regulations are exactly there for this reason. This is nothing new; they are there for this reason to respect and to protect the 211 football teams, not 211 heads of states, regimes, or what have you.

FIFA’s position is that protests can occur between and after matches, just not during game time. And, Qatar is praised for its hosting of the World Cup.

“Between and after competitions, during competitions outside of the match in the field of play, well, everyone can express his views and opinions the way he wants. But let’s give this moment of joy to those who want to enjoy the game.”

Infantino hailed Qatar’s staging of the event as “the best World Cup ever” — just as he had proclaimed four years ago in Russia.

“The World Cup has been an incredible success on all fronts,” Infantino added. “The main one being the fans, the behaviour, the joyful atmosphere, the bringing of people together. The fans meeting the Arab world, it has been very important for the future of all of us.”

So, does Zelensky’s message of peace fall into the protest category? I wouldn’t think so if it’s a general message that is meant to unify people. But, it is a political message coming from a world leader. The video is recorded in English. Zelensky provided a written statement to CNN on Saturday.

“Qatar supported the President’s initiative, but FIFA blocked the initiative and will not allow the video address of the president to be shown before the final game,” the statement said.

Ukraine’s presidential office also said it will distribute the video independently if FIFA doesn’t air it and said their decision to block it would show “FIFA has lost its valuable understanding of soccer – as a game that unites peoples, rather than supporting existing divisions.”

I guess we’ll know soon enough if FIFA relents and allows Zelensky’s message to go forward when the final match is played today.