Mexico City [Mexico], June 11 (ANI): FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the governing body's approach to visa-related challenges ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, insisting that FIFA cannot dictate immigration decisions to sovereign governments and urging critics to remain patient while solutions are pursued behind the scenes.
Speaking at a pre-World Cup press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, Infantino addressed concerns surrounding the denial of entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been selected to officiate at the tournament and was set to become the first referee from Somalia to work at a FIFA World Cup.
A United States official said Artan was refused admission after arriving in Miami from Istanbul because of an alleged "association with suspected members of terror organisations."
"It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia, but again, we don't control everything," Infantino said, according to ESPN. "We try, we'll discuss, we'll see. Maybe sometimes it's good as well to chill, relax. We work on everything; we try to resolve everything."
The FIFA chief stressed that the organisation's influence has limits when it comes to government policies.
"Believe me when I tell you, or don't believe me if you don't want to, but we try always to find solutions, always," Infantino said.
"But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces, and I don't know what. We are a sports organisation, we try to do our best with the means that we have," he added.
He further added, "Sometimes, to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect in terms of finding a solution. We always try 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."
Later clarifying his remarks, Infantino said FIFA was actively working to understand and address issues as they arise.
"I don't mean to chill and do nothing, I mean to trust us that we are working behind the scenes, trying to understand," he said, as per ESPN. "There are things we are told, things we are not told. We always try to make things positive and find a solution."
Infantino pointed to FIFA's efforts in ensuring Iran's participation in the tournament despite political tensions between the United States and Iran.
"It has been successful to bring Iran to play in America, I don't know who would've managed to do that ... we don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth, and we try our best," he said.
The FIFA president also dismissed suggestions that visa complications, including the relocation of Iran's training base to Tijuana in Mexico, had diminished confidence in the United States as a host nation.
Infantino said he had no regrets over awarding hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup to the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.
The FIFA chief also addressed ongoing investigations into World Cup ticket pricing by attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas, maintaining that the organisation remained confident in its ticketing policies.
"Let me say that we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell 7 million tickets, we checked what we would do with the best lawyers or experts," Infantino said.
"In California, we sold 800,000 tickets for the games in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Out of the 800,000 we had three customers who complained. The fourth one has come since. These cases were solved before the investigations started. We welcome any investigations. We'll present everything and make our case. But it's most important that every dollar that we generate goes back into football," said FIFA Chief.
FIFA has faced criticism over ticket prices for the tournament, with standard tickets starting at USD 140 and some seats for the final in New Jersey priced as high as USD 8,680. In response, FIFA later made a limited number of USD 60 tickets available to national federations for supporters.
Infantino argued that the average ticket price for the competition remains below USD 500 and comparable to prices seen during major playoff events in American sports.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on Thursday, with co-hosts Mexico opening the tournament against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca. (ANI)
