Gianni Infantino is not a man used to apologizing. And even though he said sorry three times on the second slide of a 15-page Instagram post, that remains the case.
“To everyone who missed our beautiful game, the emotions, the celebrations, the laughter, the crying, the deception, and the joy. 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. Sorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all,” read a missive from the FIFA president posted on FIFA’s website, his personal Instagram account, and FIFA’s online and social channels. Comments were turned off.
The Swiss executive went on to claim that the World Cup, had brought “no violence, no incidents, 100% safety and security, only joy and happiness!” The exclamation mark was not the only part of the message reminiscent of US President Donald Trump’s communication style.
Infantino claims to have ‘united’ Iran and USA
“While you spread hatred, we worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war. Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict,” Infantino wrote.
In fact, Iran were treated differently to any of the other 47 teams at the World Cup. They were forced to stay in Mexico and travel to their games in the US and had further last minute restrictions imposed on them after their matches.
Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team were the “most oppressed” at the World Cup after the travel chaos came on top of several support staff being denied visas.
Travel bans and visa refusals were a running theme of the tournament. Trump’s travel bans denied entry to fans from several participating countries, including Haiti, Senegal, Iran and the Ivory Coast, which faced varying levels of bans or restrictions.
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Furthermore Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US due to unsubstantiated US government claims that he had an “association with suspected members of terror organizations,” despite the fact that he held a diplomatic passport and the had been issued the correct visa.
FIFA and UEFA split becoming clearer
But, Infantino said, people should instead be looking at FIFA’s successes.
“You mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world. Because football unites the world, and it was demonstrated impressively this summer,” he added.
Infantino’s relationship with Trump has been another bone of contention for many. After awarding Trump the newly introduced FIFA Peace Prize in December, Trump admitted to phoning Infantino to lobby on behalf of US striker Folarin Balogun, whose red card ban was suspended in a near-unprecedented move at a World Cup.
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“Indeed, ‘arguable’ referees’ decisions or ‘strange” disciplinary rulings such as for instance potentially mistaken red or yellow cards or subsequent decisions not to ban players in certain situations are routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide,” Infantino wrote.
However, FIFA’s own rules state that red card bans at World Cups cannot be appealed or overturned, which Balogun’s, in a World Cup context at least, was.
“It’s curious that the same countries employing these practices are the ones criticizing,” continued Infantino in what appeared to be a shot at European governing body UEFA, which publicly said FIFA had “crossed a red line” in the Balogun incident. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin failed to attend the World Cup final, a move widely understood to have been in protest — with FIFA and its biggest continental association at loggerheads.
Trump wants Infantino as UN Secretary-General
Shortly after the final, Trump recommended Infantino for the post of secretary-general of the United Nations, which is up for grabs at the end of this year.
But, despite the thoughts of his “close friend,” Infantino looks set to remain at FIFA, where he is expected to be elected unopposed once again next year. In Sunday’s message he praised his own organization for delivering despite the further criticism of hydration breaks and FIFA breaking their own rules to extend halftime in the final.
“To the pens and papers, to all the screens, may you find love and peace where the people behind you couldn’t.
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May you find peace; we at FIFA have found ours and we deliver it, by delivering the most outstanding FIFA World Cup. May football rise above all hate.”
It is a message that the Iranian team, Haitian fans and Omar Artan may well have shared, had they been allowed to enjoy the World Cup with the same freedoms as Infantino.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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