Chill, rela FIFA chief shrugs off World Cup visa row in sharp exchange with reporter
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said football's governing body cannot dictate who the United States allows into the country for the World Cup, defending FIFA's handling
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said football's governing body cannot dictate who the United States allows into the country for the World Cup, defending FIFA's handling of visa-related issues and urging critics to "chill and relax" as the tournament prepares to get underway. Speaking during a 66-minute press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, the eve of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Infantino addressed a range of controversies that have emerged in the build-up to the tournament, including the denial of entry to Somali referee Omar Artan and concerns surrounding Iran's participation in matches hosted in the United States. Read Full Story Artan was set to make history as the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after being included in FIFA's final list of match officials. However, he was denied entry after arriving at Miami International Airport from Istanbul. A US official said on Tuesday that Artan was refused admission because of an alleged "association with suspected members of terror organizations." Infantino described the situation as unfortunate but stressed that FIFA's influence has limits when it comes to decisions taken by governments. "Believe me when I tell you, or don't believe me if you don't want, but we try always to find solutions, always," Infantino said. FIFA president Gianni Infantino on the Somalian referee Omar Artan not making it to the FIFA World Cup “We don’t control everything” pic.twitter.com/xxxYiXU2JP— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) June 10, 2026 "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 organization, we try to do our best with the means that we have." The FIFA president said the organisation continues to work behind the scenes whenever problems arise but cautioned against reacting too quickly in public. "It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia, but again we don't control everything," Infantino said. "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." He argued that public pressure and immediate criticism do not always help resolve sensitive matters involving immigration authorities and national governments. "Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect in terms of finding a solution," he said. "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." Pressed on what he meant by asking people to "chill," Infantino clarified that FIFA was actively working to address concerns rather than ignoring them. "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. "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 Iran's participation in the tournament as an example of FIFA's efforts to navigate complex political and logistical challenges.
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