FIFA President Gianni Infantino has urged critics to meditate and reflect instead of spreading hate, in a statement published a week after the conclusion of the 2026 men's World Cup in North America.
The 15-page post addressed several controversies from the tournament. Infantino responded to criticism over visa restrictions that limited Iran's squad and denied entry to multiple support staff, as well as the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entering the United States over alleged ties to terrorist organizations. He also defended the decision to lift a red-card suspension for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun after a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump — a move UEFA condemned as "incomprehensible and indefensible".
Separately, the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission dismissed a complaint by rights group FairSquare alleging Infantino breached political neutrality rules by endorsing Trump. Infantino, backed by a majority of FIFA's 211 member associations, is set to be re-elected for a new four-year term at a 2027 congress.