Gianni Infantino's response to the controversies surrounding the 2026 World Cup was essentially: stop watching us and start watching football. In an open letter posted to FIFA's website, the president dismissed critics, defended the organisation's record, and asked those "spreading hate and false rumours" to "take a moment to reflect, meditate, pray, or watch a football match."
That's a remarkable line from the man running the sport's governing body. Not a denial. Not a rebuttal of specific claims. Just a spiritual suggestion.
The Balogun question doesn't disappear with an open letter
The suspension lifted for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun — following what was widely reported as an intervention by President Donald Trump — is the centrepiece of the criticism Infantino is trying to deflect. His response was to compare it to disputed refereeing decisions in domestic leagues worldwide. "Such decisions are common in some of the most important leagues," he wrote.
That's a strange defence. Normalising questionable disciplinary rulings by pointing to other questionable rulings isn't reassurance — it's a confession that the standard is low across the board. Anyone tracking player suspension markets or tournament betting will know that decisions like this don't just raise eyebrows; they undermine confidence in the integrity of the competition itself.
Then there's Iran. Infantino claimed FIFA "worked tirelessly" to reconcile differences between Tehran and Washington, and that "Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict." Iran's own head coach disagreed publicly, calling his side "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup" after a series of last-minute travel disruptions.
"No violence, no incidents" — technically, sure
On logistics and safety, Infantino was bullish: "We experienced no violence, no incidents, 100% safety and security, only joy and happiness!" The exclamation mark is doing a lot of work there.
A tournament can run smoothly on the ground and still be compromised off it. Infrastructure is not integrity. The two things are not the same, and conflating them is exactly the kind of rhetorical sleight of hand that keeps the real questions unanswered.
Infantino closed by urging critics to observe "the faces, the eyes, the emotions" of football fans. The faces of Iran's coaching staff after those last-minute travel changes might be worth observing too.
