FIFA president Gianni Infantino had defended the United States of America's ( USA) immigration policies, insisting that FIFA cannot dictate to the U.S. government who to allow into its country for the World Cup.
Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday in Mexico City, Infantino said that sometimes it is better to "chill and relax" over visa issues, and despite the ongoing visa-related issues that included relocating the Iran national team's training base to Tijuana, Mexico, and the denied entry to referee Omar Artan, he does not regret choosing the United States as a host country of the 2026 World Cup.
"Believe me when I tell you, or don't believe me if you don't want to, but we try always to find solutions, always," he said during.
USA has come under fire after on Tuesday the country denied Omar Artan entry after arriving at the Miami International Airport from Istanbul, he was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA's final list for the tournament.
According to ESPN, a United States official said Tuesday night that Artan was refused admission because of "association with suspected members of terror organizations."
"It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia, but again we don't control everything," ESPN quoted Infantino.
"We try, we'll discuss, we'll see. Maybe sometimes it's good as well to chill, relax. We work on everything, we try to resolve everything," Infantino continued.
When the Fifa boss was later pressed to clarify his comments and highlighted the success in getting the Iran squad visas for the tournament despite the ongoing conflict with the U.S, he argued that It has been successful to bring Iran to play in America, and that he dint know who would've managed to do that.
The World Cup, which is also being co-hosted by Canada and Mexico, will kick off on Thursday at the Estadio Azteca with a match between Mexico and South Africa.