Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, just dropped a 15-slide Instagram post telling critics to “meditate, pray or watch a football match” instead of “spreading hate and false rumours” about his leadership and the World Cup. Talk about a fiery take! He reposted it to Fifa’s eight million followers, claiming Fifa is delivering the “greatest event on earth.”
The ‘Joy and Happiness’ Myth Meets Reality
Infantino says the 2026 tournament had “100% safety and security, only joy and happiness.” But hold up, Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team “most oppressed” at the World Cup. Seriously, man? Remember all the issues for Iran? Visa delays, “integral” backroom staff denied entry, fans’ ticket allocation revoked, and moving their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, due to logistical nightmares. Oh, and the squad faced restrictions traveling between their training base and group matches, including right here in **Seattle** and Los Angeles. And it wasn’t just Iran. Fans from Haiti, Senegal, and Ivory Coast were hit with travel bans, and Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US despite holding a diplomatic passport and a single entry US visa because of his “association with suspected members of terror organisations.” Infantino’s response? He basically said, “You mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved… Because football unites the world.”
‘Zero Incidents’ and Controversial Calls
Infantino also claimed “zero incidents, zero violence, just joy, emotions, happiness, unity, and togetherness.” Except, Fifa is actually investigating Argentina’s actions after players and backroom staff were involved in altercations with Spain’s players after losing the World Cup final. They’re also looking into allegations of racist abuse against American social media influencer IShowSpeed, and supporters were arrested at multiple matches, including following England’s semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta. And let’s not forget Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were “controversially present” at World Cup stadiums. Zero incidents? Come on. Then there’s the officiating drama: USA forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban was SUSPENDED for their last-16 tie after US President Donald Trump intervened. A red card suspension lifted? Only one other player out of 191 red cards shown at a men’s World Cup ever got that. UEFA called it “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable,” a “red line” crossed. The Norwegian Football Federation is even considering filing a formal complaint.
Infantino is telling critics to just chill, but the real issues are stacking up. With so many questions around security, fairness, and logistics for 2026, you gotta wonder if this “greatest event on earth” can truly deliver on its promises. Will Fifa address these legit concerns, or just keep telling everyone to pray? We’ll be watching to see how this unfolds.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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