During a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the opening match of the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup, President Gianni Infantino addressed several pressing issues, including the case of Somali referee Omar Artan. Artan was poised to become the first Somali official to work at a World Cup but was denied entry into the United States due to unspecified security concerns.
Infantino on Somali Referee Visa Denial
Infantino stated that FIFA was actively trying to assist but could not override government decisions. "We don't control everything. We try. We'll discuss, we will speak, we'll see. Maybe sometimes it's good as well to just chill, relax," he said. He added, "We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don't believe me if you don't want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces."
Defense of High Ticket Prices
Infantino also defended the high ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, responding to criticism over the tournament's pricing structure. He explained that FIFA had thoroughly reviewed its ticketing plans before putting millions of tickets on sale. Ticket prices have become a major talking point, especially for the final, where some seats are being sold for thousands of dollars.
Infantino argued that lower prices would have only benefited ticket resellers and black-market operators. "If you sell it at a lower price point," he said, "in this particular market it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country ... in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organize secondary markets or black market activities and not to football."
He dismissed concerns over investigations launched by attorneys general in several U.S. states. "When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the U.S.," he said, "we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell 6 and a half or 7 million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers, with the best experts. If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong, as well."
Iran, Trump, and FIFA's Ambitions
Infantino praised FIFA's efforts to ensure Iran could participate in the World Cup despite tensions between the United States and Iran. "I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America," he said. The FIFA chief claimed the tournament could become "the biggest event probably in the history of mankind." He also credited U.S. President Donald Trump for helping make the World Cup possible in the country. "Without his engagement and his involvement I think it would have been impossible — as simple as that, it would've been impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States," Infantino said.
FIFA expects the tournament to generate around $11 billion in revenue. Infantino said the organisation could have earned much more by putting matches behind paywalls but chose not to. "We could put everything on pay. We would generate $30 billion revenues, probably," he said. "But then you have billions of people in the world who would not be able to watch the World Cup."
Get the latest Sports news and live updates. Download the TOI App.
