Infantino tells fans to ‘chill’ in response to criticism

Gianni Infantino told football fans to “chill and relax” on the eve of the World Cup, while Fifa faced criticism from the United Nations over the immigration issues that have overshadowed the buildup to the tournament.

- Matt Hughes

The Fifa president launched a staunch defence of his organisation’s handling of the tournament, particularly regarding ticket prices and visa problems, and claimed no one else would have been able to secure the participation of Iran, who are at war with one of the three host nations, the United States.

Infantino insisted he had no regrets over Fifa awarding hosting rights to the US, which will stage 78 of the tournament's 104 matches, despite fans from four competing countries being hit with travel bans and the Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry at Miami airport this week.

“We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,” Infantino said. “We have to respect that we are not kings of the world, who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation that does as much as we can. It’s important sometimes to chill, relax. We work on everything. Sometimes screaming and shouting does not find a solution.”