FIFA president tells critics to ‘meditate, pray, or watch a football match’
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has taken a swipe at his critics in a rambling, self-congratulatory Instagram post, telling them to “meditate, pray, or watch a football match” instead of “spending their time and energy hating us,” Euronews writes.
In a 15-slide post on his account, Infantino celebrated what he called the “best show in the world” and defended the football governing body against “those behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors.”
While the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament was a hit with fans, it was not without controversy, and the FIFA president was at the center of many of the most controversial moments.
Perhaps the most high-profile controversy of the tournament came after the United States’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the game, US forward Folarin Balogun was shown a red card for stepping on the foot of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović, meaning he was set to miss the round-of-16 clash against Belgium.
However, it turned out that one phone call could prove decisive. Following a private phone conversation between the US president and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Balogun’s red-card suspension was overturned.
Infantino also hailed Iran’s involvement in the tournament, praising FIFA’s attempts to “unite two countries at war.”
“Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict,” he wrote, appearing to ignore the Iranian team’s visa issues ahead of the tournament.
The Iranians were not the only ones to have trouble navigating US immigration authorities.
Somali referee Omar Artan, one of the world’s top-rated officials, was also denied entry to the US ahead of the tournament after the US Customs and Border Protection agency found him to be “inadmissible due to vetting concerns,” again sparking criticism.
While the FIFA boss may have hoped the growing list of controversies would be put to bed after the World Cup final, Argentina’s erratic and widely condemned behavior following the final whistle fueled further complaints.
The governing body has opened an investigation into the Argentine team’s actions, after several of Lionel Scaloni’s players and staff became involved in altercations with the Spanish side.
Despite the criticism, Infantino signed off his post by wishing that “those behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors” find “love” and “peace.”
“Finally I am incredibly proud, as FIFA President, to have contributed, even a little, to this show. It’s a great feeling,” he added.
