Vancouver: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has told fans to “chill and relax” saying it was unfortunate that the United States had refused entry into the country of a top Somali referee because of his alleged links to “suspected members of terror organisations”.
Speaking on the eve of the 2026 World Cup, and in his first press conference in three years, Infantino insisted he had no regrets about hosting the World Cup in the US despite geopolitical tensions but conceded issues around high ticket prices, visas, and Iran’s participation have overshadowed the focus on soccer.
Artan, Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, received a hero’s welcome on his arrival home to Mogadishu on Thursday (AEST) after he was turned back by US Customs and Border Protection at Miami International Airport after his arrival on the Monday.
“What happened has happened and it was fate. I am grateful for the support FIFA gave me,” Artan told reporters after arriving in Somalia.
The Trump administration said the US had denied Artan entry because of his links to “suspected members of terror organisations” but gave no further specifics.
“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” Infantino told reporters. “We are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation.
“We try, we’ll discuss, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to chill, relax.”
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House the US was working to ensure “the right people come into our country” for the tournament which would be most successful in the World Cup’s history.
“They’ve never sold tickets at that level, they’ve never sold that many tickets so quickly,” Trump said. “It’s amazing because you don’t think of soccer … in this country.”
Infantino, who has a close association with Trump, went a step further than the US president, saying the World Cup, which kicks off on Friday morning (AEST), would be the “biggest event probably in the history of mankind”. He said that Iran’s involvement as one of the 48 countries competing showed how soccer can unite. The Iranian national team will play all three of its group matches in the US but has been forced to base itself in Mexico due to visa restrictions imposed by the US.
“People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup,” Infantino said.
“I promised them they will come … I don’t know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances … Iran could come and play.”
Asked by a journalist if visa-related issues made him regret having the US co-host the World Cup, Infantino said he did not and said the controversies leading into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were bigger than those he’s facing now.
“I don’t regret anything,” he said. “I have been organising events for the last 30 years. I am used to dealing with issues.”
The press conference, which began with a lengthy monologue from the FIFA president as he attempted to heap praise for how his organisation handled these controversies, cut a different tone from that held on the eve of the tournament in Qatar.
In that conference, Infantino scolded journalists for criticising Qatar’s human rights record during a media address in which he claimed to feel gay, like a woman and a migrant worker, among other bizarre claims.
Infantio was also forced to, again, defend the cost of tickets for fans. He said FIFA had now sold over six million tickets for the 104-game tournament and that there was 10 times the demand from fans than what organisations had expected.
He said the average ticket price for the tournament was under $US500 ($714), which was comparable to other major US sports during their playoffs.
With Reuters
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Nick Ralston is the deputy editor and investigations editor for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously spent time as news editor, justice editor and world editor.Connect via X or email.
