FIFA President Infantino rejects World Cup criticism in lengthy Instagram post

"Unsere Welt braucht Liebe, keinen Hass," the 56-year-old wrote. The World Cup had experienced "keine Zwischenfälle, keine Feindseligkeiten, keine Gewalt," the head of the federation declared. It had shown the "Beste der Menschheit" and conveyed hope as well as togetherness.

As evidence of football's unifying power, Infantino pointed among other things to the Iranian national team's entry into the USA despite the political tensions between the two countries, as well as to the issuance of visas to millions of fans from around the world. This smooth organization was the expression of successful cooperation with the three host nations Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Sharp attacks against critics

At the same time, Infantino fired sharply at critics. Whoever spreads "Stiften, Blättern und Bildschirmen Hass und falsche Gerüchte" while FIFA works hard "an vorderster Front," the president attacked journalists and observers. He accused them of deliberately ignoring the positive aspects of the tournament.

Infantino also rejected criticism from within the circle of governments. In view of the visa issuance to millions of fans and the sporting and cultural reach of the tournament, it was therefore "merkwürdig" when representatives of such countries criticized FIFA. This remark is aimed at governments that had repeatedly called for reforms at world football's governing body.

Infantino called the World Cup the "größte Ereignis der Welt" and said billions of people worldwide had followed the matches. He emphasized that football is "größer als Hass und Diskriminierung" and demanded: "Im Fussball geht es um Zusammenhalt, nicht um Spaltung."

Infantino also addressed controversial refereeing and disciplinary decisions during the tournament. He called the corresponding criticism "merkwürdig" without going into individual cases in substance. For example, he did not comment on the entry ban imposed on referee Omar Artan, which had caused a stir in the football world.

Refereeing and disciplinary decisions

The FIFA president also left unmentioned in his Instagram post the lifting of Folarin Balogun's suspension. As became known, this suspension had been lifted after a phone call from Donald Trump to Infantino, which had triggered international outrage. Infantino also did not directly address accusations from Iranian players that they had been treated unfairly in the USA.

Infantino recommended his critics take a moment "um nachzudenken, zu meditieren, zu beten oder ein Fußballspiel anzuschauen und die Gesichter, die Augen und die Emotionen wirklich zu betrachten." Those who waste energy with hatred should instead enjoy the sporting moments.

The Italo-Swiss ended his message with the words "Toleranz, keine Spaltung" and a declaration: "Viel Liebe an alle." He said he was "unglaublich stolz" of the World Cup and spoke overall of "100 Prozent Sicherheit, nur Freude und Glück" during the tournament.

The 15-part Instagram post generated considerable response. After eight hours, the post had recorded over 18,000 likes, but comments were not possible. Many reactions on social networks were critical, with users accusing the FIFA president of simply brushing aside legitimate objections.

Reactions and assessment

Observers consider the length and sharpness of the statement to be unusual for a FIFA president. Usually, after major tournaments, Infantino tends to speak more briefly or via press conferences. The fact that he went directly to the public on his private Instagram channel with the 15-part format underscores the personal tone of the defense.

It is striking that the president in his post neither addressed reports about the disciplinary measures against the referee nor the role of the US president in lifting Folarin Balogun's suspension. Instead, he foregrounded the organizational balance sheet and the symbolic impact of the tournament.

FIFA had staged the tournament together with the three host nations Canada, Mexico and the USA. According to official figures, visas were issued to millions of fans to enable travel to the matches in 16 cities. According to FIFA, the Iranian team was able to enter the USA without problems despite the political tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Political background

With the step of publishing such an extensive personal post, Infantino is also responding to a broadened debate about the human rights situation in the host countries, the issuance of visas, and about political influence on sporting decisions. However, he did not provide any substantive engagement with these points.