Gianni Infantino broke his silence a week after the 2026 World Cup, defending the tournament hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States while launching a sharp attack on the world's press. In a lengthy Instagram post, the FIFA president accused journalists of "spreading hatred and false rumours" and "planting the seeds of hatred". He ignored the criticism aimed at the tournament and its controversial decisions.
The message replaced the traditional press conference, which FIFA never held during or after the tournament. Praising the competition that ended on 19 July with Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina after extra time, the Italian-Swiss leader insisted the World Cup "celebrated humanity in the best possible way", and that everyone who attended "were safe and happy".
Infantino also hailed the cooperation between the three host nations, claiming they "worked tirelessly to unite two nations at war", a reference to the United States and Iran. "Iran entered the United States without any incident or conflict," he added, saying FIFA "cannot but feel immense pride and emotion at seeing these moments of love, joy and unity".
Ignoring the criticisms
Having delivered his message of support, the FIFA president turned on his critics, singling out journalists. He tore into "those who spread hatred and false rumours from behind their pens, their papers and their screens", accusing them of "planting the seeds of hatred".
The international press, he said, "mentioned only the few people whose visas were rejected, and ignored the millions who were granted visas". It was an attempt to answer the widespread criticism of the US entry restrictions, which hit several countries including Haiti, Senegal and Uzbekistan.
Refereeing and disciplinary decisions came next. Infantino insisted the practices in question are "widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues in the world", a clear nod to the lifting of Nigeria's Folarin Balogun's suspension. That case sparked widespread controversy and questions over the influence of US President Donald Trump's appeal on FIFA's decision.
Haiti as an example: ignoring the restrictions and the banned
Strikingly, Infantino cited Haiti as a team that "was treated with a lack of respect before the World Cup, but proved its worth". According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, he ignored that FIFA itself asked Haiti to change its shirt over a design deemed "political" just four days before their opening match, and that Haiti was among the countries hit by the US entry restrictions.
The newspaper also notes the FIFA president made no mention of Somali referee Omar Artan, barred from entering the United States despite being scheduled to officiate a match. He said nothing about the conflict between the United States and Iran either. The Iranian team's participation hung in the balance until the last moment, their entry conditional on strict rules Iran considered unfair.
Ticket prices went unmentioned too. The steep costs shut wide sections of fans out of the stadiums, in a tournament marred by numerous organisational and political issues that sparked widespread controversy in sporting and media circles.