Jul 27, 2026

Gianni Infantino Defends World Cup Amid Criticism, Accuses Detractors of ‘Spreading Hate’

Posted By: Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team 0 Comment

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has strongly defended the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hitting back at critics who questioned the tournament’s organisation and accusing them of focusing on negativity instead of celebrating football’s unifying power.

The tournament faced criticism over several issues, including visa complications, concerns about outside influence on FIFA decisions, and controversial refereeing and disciplinary decisions. However, Infantino has rejected those criticisms, insisting that the overall success of the competition was overshadowed by what he called unfair attacks and misinformation.

In a lengthy statement shared through his personal Instagram account and FIFA’s official platforms, Infantino argued that critics failed to recognise the positive moments created by the tournament.

“To all of you who missed watching kids, babies, grandparents, and parents come together for the beautiful game, I say sorry that the matches are now over and sorry that you missed all that joy and togetherness,” Infantino wrote.

He accused some journalists and commentators of spreading “hate and false rumours” while praising FIFA staff, volunteers, security teams, and host nations for delivering what he described as a historic event.

“While you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organising, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world,” he added.

FIFA President Defends Tournament Safety and Success

Infantino claimed the World Cup was a celebration of unity, pointing to the millions of fans who attended matches across host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

According to the FIFA president, the tournament welcomed around seven million spectators from more than 200 countries, with no major security incidents reported.

He thanked the governments of the three host nations, local authorities, police forces, and volunteers for their contribution to the competition’s success.

“Every city was packed with fans from all around the globe,” Infantino said, adding that football had brought people together despite political and social divisions.

Infantino Addresses Visa Controversy

The FIFA president also responded to criticism surrounding visa problems that prevented some individuals from attending the tournament.

He argued that attention had been placed on the small number of rejected applications rather than the millions of successful approvals that allowed fans, players, and officials from around the world to participate.

“You mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world,” Infantino wrote.

He said the tournament demonstrated football’s ability to connect people across borders and highlighted examples of teams from countries facing challenges being able to compete on the world stage.

FIFA Chief Responds to Refereeing and Disciplinary Criticism

Infantino also appeared to address criticism over controversial refereeing calls and disciplinary decisions during the competition.

One major talking point involved FIFA’s decision to suspend an automatic one-match suspension for U.S. striker Balogun after his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The decision later led to accusations of possible political influence after former U.S. President Donald Trump revealed he had spoken with Infantino about the situation.

FIFA has maintained that the decision was made independently by its disciplinary committee.

Without directly mentioning the incident, Infantino defended FIFA’s disciplinary processes, saying disputed refereeing calls and unusual rulings are common in football.

He argued that similar decisions happen regularly in major domestic leagues and questioned why FIFA was being criticised for situations he described as part of the sport.

Infantino Calls for Football to Rise Above Division

In the closing part of his message, Infantino urged critics to focus on football’s ability to inspire hope and bring people together.

“This FIFA World Cup celebrated humanity at its best,” he wrote, praising teams from smaller nations for competing with confidence and giving their supporters reasons to dream.

He encouraged people to look beyond disagreements and recognise the emotional impact of the sport.

“To those spending their time and energy hating us, please take a moment to reflect, meditate, pray, or watch a football match and truly observe the faces, the eyes, the emotions,” Infantino said.

The FIFA president concluded by expressing pride in the tournament and the role football played in creating moments of happiness and unity.

“May football rise above all hate,” he wrote.

Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team

Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team is the team responsible for researching, writing, editing, and publishing news and feature content on Julian Daily Gist. Our coverage includes Nigerian current affairs, lifestyle, entertainment, sports, health, business, and human-interest stories. We aim to provide readers with timely, accurate, and responsibly sourced information. The Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team researches, writes, edits, and publishes news and feature content covering Nigerian current affairs, entertainment, sports, health, business, lifestyle, and human-interest stories. We aim to provide accurate, timely, and responsibly sourced information and update our reports when credible new information becomes available. The Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team is responsible for researching, writing, editing, and publishing content across Julian Daily Gist. Our coverage includes Nigerian current affairs, politics, business, entertainment, sports, health, lifestyle, and human-interest stories. We aim to provide readers with timely, accurate, useful, and responsibly sourced information. Our team makes reasonable efforts to verify important information, identify sources, distinguish allegations from confirmed facts, and update reports when credible new information becomes available. We also believe in transparency and accountability. Readers can contact our editorial team to report factual errors, request corrections, or provide additional information relevant to a published story. Editorial focus: News, current affairs, lifestyle, entertainment, sports, health, business, and human-interest stories. Team BIo: The Julian Daily Gist Editorial Team is responsible for researching, writing, editing, and publishing content across Julian Daily Gist. Our coverage includes Nigerian current affairs, politics, business, entertainment, sports, health, lifestyle, and human-interest stories. We aim to provide readers with timely, accurate, useful, and responsibly sourced information. Our team makes reasonable efforts to verify important information, identify sources, distinguish allegations from confirmed facts, and update reports when credible new information becomes available. We also believe in transparency and accountability. Readers can contact our editorial team to report factual errors, request corrections, or provide additional information relevant to a published story. Editorial focus: News, current affairs, lifestyle, entertainment, sports, health, business, and human-interest stories. Editorial Policy: At Julian Daily Gist, our goal is to provide readers with timely, useful, accurate, and responsibly presented news and information. We cover Nigerian current affairs, politics, business, entertainment, sports, health, lifestyle, human-interest stories, and other topics of interest to our readers. 1. Accuracy and Verification We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information published on Julian Daily Gist is accurate and presented in its proper context. Before publishing a report, our editorial team makes reasonable efforts to: - Check information against credible sources. - Verify names, dates, locations, figures, and other important details. - Attribute information to the appropriate source. - Distinguish confirmed facts from allegations, claims, opinions, and speculation. - Update stories when credible new information becomes available. When information cannot be independently verified, we make this clear to readers rather than presenting it as established fact. 2. Sources We use a range of sources, including: - Official government statements. - Police and security agencies. - Courts and legal documents. - Government agencies. - Direct interviews and statements. - Reputable news organizations. - Publicly available records. - Verified social media accounts and statements. When an article relies substantially on information reported by another publication, we aim to clearly attribute the information to that source. We do not intentionally present another publication's reporting as our own. 3. Originality Julian Daily Gist aims to provide original editorial value. When we report information that has already been published elsewhere, we seek to add value through original writing, context, verification, analysis, additional information, or other useful material. We do not intentionally copy and republish articles from other websites without appropriate attribution and meaningful editorial contribution. 4. Allegations and Sensitive Claims When reporting allegations involving individuals or organizations, we make reasonable efforts to clearly identify allegations as allegations. We avoid presenting unproven accusations as established facts. Where relevant, we seek or include responses from the person, organization, or representative concerned. For criminal matters, we recognize that an allegation, arrest, charge, or accusation does not by itself establish guilt. 5. Headlines Our headlines are intended to accurately reflect the content of our articles. We aim to avoid deliberately misleading headlines, fabricated claims, or headlines that exaggerate facts simply to generate clicks. 6. Corrections and Updates We take corrections seriously. If we discover that an article contains a significant factual error, we may correct or update the article as appropriate. Readers who identify an error are encouraged to contact us with specific information supporting the correction. Where appropriate, significant corrections or updates may be noted within the article. 7. Editorial Independence Editorial decisions are made independently of advertisers, sponsors, commercial partners, and other external interests. Advertising or sponsorship does not automatically influence our editorial decisions or the opinions expressed by our writers. 8. Sponsored and Promotional Content Where Julian Daily Gist publishes sponsored, paid, or promotional content, we aim to clearly identify it as such. Sponsored content does not necessarily represent the independent editorial views of Julian Daily Gist. 9. Conflicts of Interest Our editorial team should avoid situations where personal, financial, or other interests could improperly influence reporting. Where a relevant conflict of interest exists, we aim to disclose it when appropriate. 10. Use of Images and Other Media We aim to use images, videos, graphics, and other media responsibly and with appropriate permission, licensing, attribution, or other lawful basis where required. We do not knowingly use copyrighted material in a manner that infringes the rights of its owner. If you believe that material published on Julian Daily Gist infringes your copyright, please contact us so that we can review the matter. 11. Artificial Intelligence We may use technology and artificial intelligence tools to assist with certain editorial tasks, such as research support, proofreading, formatting, transcription, or drafting assistance. However, AI-generated information is not treated as automatically accurate. Content remains subject to human review, editing, fact-checking, and editorial judgment before publication where appropriate. We do not intentionally publish fabricated information generated by AI. 12. Privacy and Personal Information We take reasonable care when handling personal information and avoid publishing unnecessary private information about individuals. Sensitive personal information is published only when there is a legitimate public-interest reason and where appropriate. Our handling of visitor information is explained in our Privacy Policy. 13. Opinion and Commentary Opinion articles and commentary represent the views expressed by the respective writer or contributor. Where appropriate, opinion content will be identified as commentary, analysis, or opinion so that readers can distinguish it from straightforward news reporting. 14. User-Generated Content Comments and other material submitted by readers may be moderated. We reserve the right to remove content that is unlawful, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, misleading, threatening, spam-related, or otherwise inappropriate. User comments do not necessarily represent the views of Julian Daily Gist. 15. Our Commitment We are committed to improving the quality, accuracy, transparency, and usefulness of Julian Daily Gist. As our publication grows, we will continue reviewing our editorial practices and updating this policy when necessary. 16. Contact and Corrections If you have a correction, clarification, complaint, copyright concern, or question about our editorial practices, please contact us through our Contact Us page.