Gianni Infantino tells football fans to ‘chill’ in response to Fifa’s critics

Gianni Infantino told football fans to “chill and relax” on the eve of the World Cup, while Fifa faced criticism from the United Nations over the immigration issues that have overshadowed the buildup to the tournament.

The Fifa president launched a staunch defence of his organisation’s handling of the tournament, particularly regarding ticket prices and visa problems, and claimed no one else would have been able to secure the participation of Iran, who are at war with one of the three host nations, the United States.

Infantino insisted he had no regrets over Fifa awarding hosting rights to the US, which will stage 78 of the tournament’s 104 matches, despite fans from four competing countries being hit with travel bans and the Somali referee Omar Artan being denied entry at Miami airport this week.

“We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,” Infantino said. “We have to respect that we are not kings of the world, who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation that does as much as we can. It’s important sometimes to chill, relax. We work on everything. Sometimes screaming and shouting does not find a solution.”

Infantino began with a 35-minute monologue in which he urged the media to focus on football before addressing what he described as the three main issues: ticket prices, Iran and immigration to the United States.

“In 2035 we hope the Women’s World Cup will be in the United Kingdom,” he said. “Would you find it normal that Fifa would dictate to the British government who to let into the country?”

Unfortunately we live in an aggressive world and security goes above everything.