Fifa president Gianni Infantino responded to criticism received during the World Cup from the United States, Mexico and Canada. He stated that those who questioned the organization of the tournament were “consumed by hate” and noted that during the competition there were “zero incidents, zero hostility and zero violence.”
“Seven million people from 200 countries enjoyed the tournament in 16 cities and stadiums. Zero incidents, zero hostility and zero violence; only joy, emotions, happiness, unity and coexistence. Everything was safe and happy,” he wrote on his social networks.
A week after Spain’s victory over Argentina in the final, Infantino regretted that many people did not enjoy the tournament and addressed especially those who criticized the organization.
“They were so consumed by hate and criticism that they missed it all. To those who, behind their pens and papers, behind their screens, spread hate and false rumors, I want to say that, while you stay behind, we, at Fifa, are on the front line organizing, working hard and putting on the best show in the world. While you divide, we unite,” he added.
The leader also highlighted that the Iranian team entered the United States without incident, despite the conflict between both countries, and assured that the world “needs love, not hate; tolerance, not division; celebration, not mourning.”
“When the Iranian team started playing, all the chants against it became a single song (…). This goes beyond politics. Soccer is about unity, not division. Soccer is bigger than hate and discrimination. They talk about the few people who were denied visas and ignore the millions who were allowed entry from all over the world,” he stated.
Infantino also referred to the arbitration decisions and mentioned, without citing specific cases, some disciplinary sanctions that he described as “strange.”
“Potentially erroneous red or yellow cards, or subsequent decisions not to sanction players in certain situations, are common and widely accepted in some of the world’s biggest leagues. It is curious that the same countries that employ these practices are the ones that criticize them,” he pointed out.
The Fifa president concluded that he feels “incredibly proud to have contributed, even a little, to the great spectacle” of the World Cup and expressed his hope that “football rises above hatred.”