Fifa president Gianni Infantino faced the media for the first time in three years on the eve of the 2026 World Cup — and his response to a deepening visa crisis was to tell the world to “chill, relax”.
Speaking at the Azteca Stadium ahead of Thursday’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa, Infantino was confronted by BBC sports editor Dan Roan over whether he had lost control of the tournament. His answer betrayed little alarm, despite a cascade of incidents that have marred the build-up.
“Infantino tells critics to 'chill, relax' as Somali referee denied US entry; Iran fans have tickets cancelled.”
Referee Omar Artan, a Somali official ranked number one in Africa, was expelled after an 11-hour interrogation at Miami International Airport. A US official accused him of having links to “terror organisations” in his homeland. Infantino called it “unfortunate”.
But Artan was not alone. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for several hours at a Chicago airport before being allowed into the country. Iran have been forced to move their base to Mexico, their supporters have had all tickets cancelled by US authorities, and members of the delegation were refused visas.
When pressed on these issues, Infantino deflected. He offered a robust defence of US President Donald Trump, claiming the World Cup — largely staged in the United States — would have been “impossible” without the 79-year-old. “We try, we’ll discuss, we’ll speak, we’ll see,” Infantino said. “Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.”
Those words will have offered little comfort to Artan, who landed back in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday, his World Cup dream over. Infantino expressed no regrets — only that the incident was “unfortunate” and that “we don’t control everything”.
In a twist, Artan has since been appointed to referee the Super Cup, according to reports, offering a reprieve after his visa humiliation. But for the thousands of Iranian fans whose tickets were revoked, and for a referee who saw his pinnacle moment ripped away, Infantino’s message of calm may ring hollow.