Fifa president Gianni Infantino has taken aim at his critics, urging them to “meditate, pray or watch a football match” rather than, in his words, spreading “hate and false rumours” about him, the governing body and the World Cup. In a long Instagram post that was also shared with Fifa’s millions of followers, he argued that football’s biggest tournament continued to stand for unity and celebration, while opponents were focused on negativity.
Infantino said the 2026 World Cup represented “the greatest event on earth” and described it as a showcase of humanity at its best. He also claimed the tournament delivered “100% safety and security,” with “zero incidents” and “zero violence,” presenting the event as a success built around joy, emotion and togetherness. In his post, he told critics they had missed the atmosphere created by fans and families from around the world.
But his upbeat assessment sits uneasily alongside several controversies that surrounded the tournament. Iran’s participation was one of the flashpoints, with the team facing visa delays, staff being denied entry to the United States, fans losing ticket allocations and the squad shifting its training base from Tucson to Tijuana because of logistical problems. Iran also dealt with restrictions on travel between its base and matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. Those difficulties were not limited to one country, with supporters from Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast affected by travel bans, while Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry despite holding a diplomatic passport and a valid visa.
Infantino also pointed to the large number of people who were able to attend, saying critics focused too much on the few who were refused visas and ignored the millions who were approved. He praised football’s power to bring people together and said the tournament had shown that on a global scale. At the same time, Fifa is still looking into several issues from the competition, including Argentina’s post-final clash with Spain’s players and staff, allegations of racist abuse aimed at American influencer IShowSpeed, and arrests of supporters at different matches, including after England’s semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta. ICE officials were also present at stadiums, which drew controversy.
Infantino’s comments also touched on concerns about officiating and political influence. That debate intensified after Fifa suspended USA forward Folarin Balogun’s ban for the last-16 match following intervention from Donald Trump. Uefa called the move “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable,” while Norway’s football federation is considering a complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee. Infantino rejected the criticism, saying similar decisions are routine in major leagues, and added that some of the countries objecting were using the same practices themselves.
Source: bbc.co.uk
