Infantino tells World Cup critics to 'chill'
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- Omar Artan, set to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup, was denied entry to the United States despite holding what he believed was a valid visa; Somalia is among the countries on the US travel ban.
- Gianni Infantino told reporters to 'chill and relax' about the visa denial, saying FIFA is 'a sports organisation' that cannot 'rule over governments and police forces' and that 'security goes above everything.'
- FIFA's official resale platform takes a 15% cut from both buyer and seller, and one ticket was listed for £8.5m ($11.5m) in May; entry-level tickets start at $60, with only 402 federation-only tickets allocated for England's opener against Croatia despite an allocation of 4,022.
- Infantino defended dynamic pricing as matching 'market rates' in the North American entertainment market, arguing that lower prices would push sales to 'secondary or black market activities' rather than benefit football.
- Iran's World Cup participation was uncertain after US and Israeli air strikes on February 28, but Infantino said he was 'very happy' the team would play all three group games in the US, and that he had personally promised them they would come.
- Iran's football federation (FFIRI) said on Tuesday that its ticket allocation for the tournament had been pulled, days before their June 16 opener against New Zealand.
Why it matters: For fans and players, the three flashpoints carry real stakes: a historic first Somali referee blocked by US immigration policy, the highest ticket prices in World Cup history (one resale hit £8.5m), and Iran competing in the US months after February 28 strikes. Infantino's 'chill and relax' response buys FIFA time but resolves none of them before kickoff.
