Infantino tells critics to "meditate, pray or watch football"
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Gianni Infantino posted 15 slides on Instagram telling critics to "meditate, pray or watch a football match" instead of "spreading hate and false rumours," affirming the World Cup had "100% safety and security, only joy and happiness".
- Infantino downplayed Iran's troubled tournament, saying FIFA "worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war," directly contradicting Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei, who said his team were the "most oppressed" at the World Cup.
- Iran faced visa delays, had "integral" backroom staff denied US entry, saw fans' ticket allocations revoked, and relocated their training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico due to logistical issues.
- Fans from Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast were impacted by Trump administration travel bans, while Omar Artan, a Somali referee holding a diplomatic passport and single-entry US visa, was denied entry over alleged ties to "suspected members of terror organisations".
- Folarin Balogun's one-match ban was suspended by FIFA after intervention from President Donald Trump, a decision UEFA labeled "unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable," with the Norwegian FA considering a formal ethics complaint.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were controversially present at World Cup stadiums, and FIFA is investigating post-final altercations between Argentina and Spain players and racist abuse allegations toward influencer IShowSpeed.
- The International Olympic Committee declined to investigate Infantino for breaches of political neutrality, ruling human rights group FairSquare's complaint fell outside its ethics commission's jurisdiction.
Why it matters: Infantino's defiance — and refusal to acknowledge documented visa denials or political interference as legitimate concerns — signals FIFA's confidence in his re-election bid next year but reinforces what critics call a "siege mentality" at a governing body facing unprecedented scrutiny over security costs, US immigration policy, and Trump's direct role in reversing a player suspension.
