Gianni Infantino responds to criticism and defends his record on the 2026 World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the 2026 World Cup in a statement available on FIFA's website. He notably settled scores with those who had criticized the tournament.

In this statement published on the website of the global body, Ginanni Infantino regrets that "the blindness caused by hatred and systematic criticism" kept his detractors "away from this immense celebration" which "celebrated humanity at its best."

"Iran entered the United States without the slightest incident or conflict (...). That's the power of football."

While the start of the competition was marred by visa refusals for fans and the deportation of Somali referee Omar Artan, the FIFA president believes that the "millions of other people from all corners of the globe" who were granted visas have been overlooked. Infantino also praised FIFA's work "in uniting two countries at war." "Iran entered the United States without the slightest incident or conflict (...). That's the power of football," he declared.

During the competition, Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei regularly denounced the treatment his team received, which was forced to relocate its base camp from the United States to Mexico, believing that Iran was the "most mistreated team in the entire World Cup".

But the biggest scandal of the competition was probably the lifting of Folarin Balogun's suspension, a few days after a phone call from Donald Trump to Infantino to ask for a review of the red card given to the American striker in the round of 32.

Outraged reactions came from all quarters, from the sporting and political worlds alike. UEFA, furious, deemed that a "red line" had been crossed, and its president, Aleksander Ceferin, boycotted the final. The Norwegian Football Federation announced last week that it would file a complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee.

"Your dissatisfaction with some decisions by the competent authorities is understandable, but open the public archives: such decisions are commonplace in the most prestigious leagues," Infantino said, arguing that "the choice not to suspend a player in certain situations" is "part of the daily routine."

The FIFA president also responded to those criticizing the move from 32 to 48 teams by citing the example of Haiti, a country "put in the spotlight" by football.

"To those who devote their time and energy to hating us, please take a moment to reflect, meditate, pray, or simply watch a football match. Really observe the faces, the looks, the emotions," Infantino continued.