FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the organization cannot dictate to the U.S. government who to allow into its country for the World Cup, saying that sometimes it is better to “chill and relax” over visa issues.
“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 during his pre-World Cup news conference in Mexico City on Wednesday. “But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces and I don’t know what. We are a sports organization, we try to do our best with the means that we have.”
Infantino referenced the specific case of Omar Artan, who was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament, but was denied entry to the United States after arriving at the Miami International Airport from Istanbul.
A United States official said Tuesday night that Artan was refused admission because of “association with suspected members of terror organizations.”
“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. We always try 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.”
Infantino was later pressed to clarify his comments and highlighted the success in getting the Iran squad visas for the tournament despite the ongoing conflict with the U.S.
Source: BBC
