2026 World Cup: FIFA president Gianni Infantino says ‘chill and rest’ after Somali referee denied US visa | Football news

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called on people to “chill and relax” over Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup.

The comments came from a 66-minute press conference before the tournament, where Infantino defended FIFA over the many controversies that have overshadowed the World Cup build-up.

Artan was going to be the first Somali referee in the World Cup but was denied entry to the United States. Somalia is one of the US travel ban countries but Artan believes he has a valid visa to enter the country.

The decision to ban Artan from the USA was met with widespread criticism.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to Omar. But we don’t control everything. We are trying, we are talking and we will talk”, said Infantino.

“Maybe sometimes it’s good to just chill and relax. We work on everything and try to solve everything. Sometimes, starting to scream and shout has the opposite effect of finding a solution.

“Believe me when I tell you, don’t believe me if you want, we are always trying to find solutions. We are not kings of the world who can rule governments and police; we are a sports organization”.

Asked for a response to his comments to reporters about what he meant by “cooling off”, Infantino added: “In 2035, I think the Women’s World Cup will be in (e) the UK.

“Would you consider it normal that FIFA told the British Government who to import into the country and who not to allow to enter the country? I don’t know, maybe you find it normal.

“Our world is a violent world and safety comes first. You have to respect decisions.

“When it is said ‘cool down’, I don’t mean ‘cool down without doing anything’, I mean to trust us.

“We always try to make the situation better and find solutions. Sometimes we manage, sometimes we don’t.”

Infantino is ‘happy’ Iran can play and hopes for a good situation

Infantino addressed two other issues in the first half of his long press conference, as he also talked about Iran playing in the World Cup and ticket prices.

Iran’s participation in the tournament has previously been a matter of uncertainty since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the country on February 28.

Infantino has repeatedly insisted Iran will play as scheduled, with all three of their group games taking place in the US, with President Donald Trump also saying “let them play” in March, despite the conflict.

A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in May that his country would participate in the World Cup but asked the US to provide “necessary resources without political considerations or intentions.”

On Tuesday, the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) said that its allocation of tickets for the tournament has been released, a few days before it faces New Zealand in its first group game on June 16.

On Iran, Infantino added: “You can’t organize an event of this magnitude in a perfect way. It is true that we are facing challenges that we would like to face. Sometimes we can solve them and others we cannot solve them.

“I am very happy in Iran because I personally went to see the Iranian team, and when people said they would not come, I promised them that they would come.

“There are challenges, of course it’s not easy, when Iran plays the stadium will be full and I hope there will be a good atmosphere because this is football. I’m very happy that we were able to have Iran come to play in this World Cup.”

“There are still problems we are dealing with, of course.”