Gianni Infantino Defends FIFA Over World Cup Visa Controversies As Referee Entry Row Grows

• FIFA president says world governing body cannot control U.S. immigration decisions
• Somali referee Omar Artan remains unable to enter the United States for the World Cup
• Infantino also dismisses concerns over ongoing investigations into ticket pricing

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the organisation’s handling of growing visa controversies ahead of the 2026 World Cup, insisting football’s governing body cannot dictate who governments allow into their countries.

Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference in Mexico City, Infantino addressed the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States despite being selected to officiate at this summer’s tournament.

Artan had been set to become the first referee from Somalia to work at a World Cup after being included on FIFA’s final officials list. However, U.S. authorities refused him entry upon arrival in Miami from Istanbul.

A U.S. official later said Artan was denied admission because of an alleged “association with suspected members of terror organisations.”

Infantino acknowledged the situation was unfortunate but stressed that FIFA’s powers have limits.

“Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always,” he said.

“But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces. We are a sports organisation, we try to do our best with the means that we have.”

The FIFA president also urged patience while discussions continue behind the scenes.

“It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia, but again we don’t control everything,” Infantino said.

“We try, we’ll discuss, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to chill, relax. We work on everything, we try to resolve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect in terms of finding a solution.”

His comments come amid wider concerns over travel and visa complications involving Iran’s national team. Iran’s preparations have already been disrupted, with the squad relocating its training base from Arizona to Tijuana and several federation officials reportedly facing visa difficulties.

Infantino pointed to FIFA’s success in ensuring Iran’s participation as evidence of the work being carried out behind closed doors.

“I don’t mean to chill and do nothing, I mean to trust us that we are working behind the scenes,” he said.

“It has been successful to bring Iran to play in America. We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth and we try our best.”

Despite the growing scrutiny, Infantino insisted he has no regrets about selecting the United States as one of the World Cup hosts.

The FIFA president also addressed investigations into the tournament’s ticket pricing strategy. Attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas are examining complaints related to World Cup ticket sales.

Infantino said FIFA remained unconcerned by the investigations and welcomed external scrutiny.

“Let me say that we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell seven million tickets, we checked what we would do with the best lawyers or experts,” he said.

“In California, we sold 800,000 tickets for the games in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Out of the 800,000 we had three customers who complained. The fourth one has come since.”

FIFA has faced criticism for ticket prices that began at around $140, with premium seats for the July 19 final in New Jersey reaching as high as $8,680. Following supporter backlash, the governing body later released a limited allocation of $60 tickets through national federations.

The 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday when hosts Mexico face South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, with FIFA hoping the focus quickly shifts from politics and ticket disputes back to football.