Infantino asked if he is embarrassed by World Cup chaos in US, FIFA boss fires back: ‘It’s good to just chill, relax’ – Firstpost

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has responded to growing criticism surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, saying FIFA cannot control governments or security agencies despite concerns over travel restrictions and visa issues affecting the tournament.

The World Cup has faced backlash in recent months after the United States imposed travel restrictions on citizens from several countries. FIFA was also criticised after Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was reportedly denied entry into the United States and sent back over alleged links to terror groups, preventing him from becoming the first Somali official to work at a World Cup.

Many fans and observers have described the tournament as unwelcoming, with concerns that supporters and officials from some African and Asian nations are facing stricter scrutiny than those from Europe. Critics have also questioned FIFA’s relationship with US President Donald Trump, who is very close to Infantino and whose administration is behind the policies affecting the event.

Infantino defends FIFA

Speaking during a press conference on the eve of the tournament’s opening match, Infantino was asked about FIFA’s role in dealing with these issues and whether they had lost control of their own tournament in the United States. The FIFA president defended the governing body’s efforts, insisting that FIFA cannot dictate decisions made by governments.

“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax. We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces,” he said.

Infantino also pointed to Iran’s participation in the World Cup as an example of FIFA successfully working through challenges in the US. Iran and the United States are currently engaged in an all-out war, and there were concerns for several weeks over the Middle Eastern nation’s participation in the tournament. Iran eventually confirmed it would take part, but only on the condition that its base camp be set up in Mexico, despite all of its group-stage matches being scheduled in US cities.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America. I don’t know who would have managed to do that. And of course everyone here believes it’s the right thing to do. But, again, we don’t live on the moon. We live on planet Earth and you have to deal with different situations,” he said.

Meanwhile, critics argue that FIFA has not done enough to protect equal access to the World Cup for players, officials and fans from all 48 participating nations. However, Infantino defended the organisation by saying that it cannot dictate decisions to governments.