Gianni Infantino urges critics to ‘chill and relax’ amid Somali referee World Cup ban backlash

Gianni Infantino told fans to ‘chill and relax’ in the wake of referee Omar Artan being denied entry to the US.

The FIFA president has faced mounting backlash in the days leading up to this summer’s World Cup – which begins on Thursday – with a number of controversies overshadowing the build-up.

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Most notable of all the pre-tournament issues was Somali referee Artan being barred from entering the USA.

The official was stopped from passing through border security at Miami International Airport, despite possessing a valid travel visa.

Fox News posted a statement purported to be from an official from the Trump administration that claimed Artan had ‘association with suspected members of terror organisations’.

However, no proof has been provided about what those suspected links are.

Artan’s denied entry is one of several issues which have clouded the build-up to the tournament, with Iran being forced to move their training base for the tournament to other host nation Mexico amid the ongoing conflict with the USA.

The Iranian Football Federation have also claimed their ticket allocation for supporters has been revoked.

Infantino: Artan situation ‘unfortunate’

With the Artan controversy and Iran’s precarious situation drawing plenty of criticism, FIFA President Infantino held a lengthy press conference on the eve of the World Cup’s opening game where he sought to address the issues surrounding the tournament.

First addressing Artan, the Italian said: “It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia.

“Again, we don’t control everything. We try, we will discuss, we will speak, we will see.

“Sometimes it’s good to chill, relax, we work on everything, we try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.

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“Believe me when I tell you, we always try to find solutions.

“But we need to respect we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces – we are a sports organisation.”

Infantino then addressed Iran’s participation at the World Cup, which had previously been in doubt after the US-Israeli air strikes on the country in February.

The FIFA chief had long insisted Iran would still play at the tournament, and praised his own role in this.

He said: “Let me say that on Iran, I am very happy because I went to see the Iranian team in Turkey in March this year.

“People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup, I promised them they will come and if I have to go on a bus to Tehran and drive them here I will do that.

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“Their answer was we will take the bus and drive ourselves if needs be. We qualified and we want to play.

Infantino added: “When Iran plays, the stadium will be full and I hope there will be a positive atmosphere because this is football, it’s about people forgetting their realities and focusing on a match and a team.

“I am very happy we managed to get Iran to come and play. I am proud of the work of my team.”

Ticket prices defended

Among the other controversies clouding this summer’s World Cup are ticket prices, with FIFA widely criticised for the cost of games.

FIFA priced tickets starting at $140 for the showpiece being hosted in the USA, Canada and Mexico and priced regular seats up to $8,680 (£6,471) for the 19 July final in New Jersey.

It raised prices for the final to $10,990 (£8,228) and then $32,970 (£24,686), before offering a small amount of $60 (£45) tickets to national federations for their regular supporters.

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However Infantino defended the World Cup prices, saying: “If we are doing something wrong, everyone in North America is doing something wrong.”

He added: “The starting price at $60; the market is what it is. If you sell it at a lower price point, it would have gone on secondary markets at much higher prices.”