GIANNI INFANTINO Deflects Criticism Against FIFA, 2026 World Cup

The President of FIFA, GIANNI INFANTINO, has dismissed criticism against the football world governing body and the 2026 World Cup.

INFANTINO said critics should meditate, pray or watch a football match, instead of spreading hate and false rumours about his leadership.

He made the comment in a fifteen-slide post on his personal Instagram account, which was reposted to FIFA's eight million followers.

INFANTINO said while FIFA was delivering the "greatest event on earth”, "those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens" were "busy planting seeds of hate".

He said the World Cup "celebrated humanity at its best", adding that the 2026 tournament had "100% safety and security, only joy and happiness".

INFANTINO downplayed several of the tournament's high-profile controversies and hailed the involvement of Iran, who featured at the World Cup despite their ongoing conflict with co-hosts the United States, as a success.

He said FIFA "worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war", with Iran entering the country "without incident or conflict".

His comments are in stark contradiction to those of Iran's head coach AMIR GHALENOEI, who said his team were the "most oppressed" at the World Cup.

Recall that Iran faced visa delays, with members of their backroom staff denied entry to the US, while fans had their allocation of tickets revoked, just as the Iranian team had their training base moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to logistical issues in the buildup to the tournament.

The Iranians also encountered restrictions on their movements, as they travelled between their training base and group matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.