Infantino defends Trump ties as World Cup arrives under a cloud it can’t ignore
· Yahoo Sports
The World Cup opens Thursday, but first on Wednesday FIFA president Gianni Infantino had some explaining to do.
He has spent 15 months publicly embracing U.S. President Donald Trump, giving him awards and pledging money to him, while Trump’s immigration policies have been barring World Cup fans, team officials and one of the tournament’s top referees from entering the host country. On Wednesday, the eve of kickoff, Infantino faced the press in Mexico City for the first time since 2023 and he was asked about the alliance.
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His answer was unapologetic. Without Trump, none of this happens, he said.
“Without his engagement and his involvement, I think it would have been impossible,” Infantino said at Estadio Azteca. “Simply as simple as that.”
The statement was striking in the middle of a tournament already drowning in controversy before the first match has even kicked off.
The most damaging involves Somali referee Omar Artan, the 2025 CAF Referee of the Year and who would have been the first Somali to officiate in the World Cup. He was subjected to an 11-hour interview at Miami International Airport, held in a detention cell for several more hours and then put on a plane back to Turkey. A US state department official alleged he was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations.”
Artan returned to a hero's welcome in Mogadishu. Infantino called the episode “unfortunate” and told fans they “should chill” about the controversies.
Then there are the tickets.
FIFA price seats starting at $140 for group stage matches and up to $32,970 for the final. When asked Wednesday Infantino said “if we are doing something wrong, everyone in North America is doing something wrong,” comparing World Cup prices to NBA playoff tickets. He said the average ticket was under $500 and that 130,000 tickets were offered at $60, out of 6 to 7 million total.
The Trump relationship hangs over all of it.
Infantino famously gave Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize last year after the president was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize. In October, Infantino wore a red MAGA hat and pledged FIFA money toward Trump’s Gaza redevelopment plan. On Wednesday he described his approach as putting everything on the table without asking for anything, just explaining, and said that is the key to the relationship.
During that same time, the administration has barred fans, team officials and now a top referee from entering one of the host countries. The World Cup that was supposed to unite the world opens Thursday in Mexico City.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Infantino defended Trump relationship ahead of World Cup