Football World Cup: Strong criticism of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s appearance

Appearance of FIFA boss

“This World Cup is already like a Death Star”

Gianni Infantino rarely speaks at press conferences. Now he did. Shortly before the start of the World Cup, the FIFA President received some criticism for his statements.

Shortly before the start of the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA, FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at one of his rare press conferences. The head of the world association defends the high ticket prices and comments on the case of the referee Omar Artan from Somalia who was rejected by the USA. This is what the international press thinks about the performance.

“Independent”: “Gianni Infantino’s Trumpian ramblings are a chaotic start to the World Cup. (…) All of this just highlighted how entrenched Infantino is in Trump’s orbit, to the point where he actually sounds like him. He can say anything. Serious objections are not allowed. Infantino hasn’t held a proper press conference in three years, and it’s easy to get the impression that this still isn’t the case.”

“The Sun”: “In stark contrast to his much-mocked ‘Today I feel gay’ speech ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the head of world football tried to portray FIFA as the good guys.”

“The Athletic”: “The thought arose that perhaps it was actually impossible; that the concessions, the frictions and the human costs had already crossed an invisible threshold; that when the time came, there would be no turning back from this explosive Death Star-like World Cup, no return to the time before the end of the world. For Infantino, however, these are all just points of discussion, small hurdles to overcome on the way to our glorious FIFA future.”

“Mediotimempo”: “Although the 2026 World Cup is considered the most expensive in the history of World Cups, FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the ticket prices, saying it was “a unique experience”.”

“Récord”: “There is only one day left until the start of the World Cup, but there is no sense of general euphoria at any of the venues. Protests in Mexico, raids against migrants in the United States and shootings in Canada mark the time before the start of the FIFA tournament. (…) In this context, the high ticket prices in particular have met with strong criticism, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino stuck to his stance that the prices should be justified.”

“ESTO”: “Gianni Infantino assured that he has no influence on geopolitical developments that go beyond FIFA’s jurisdiction.”

“Blick”: “This time the press conference before the opening of the World Cup is not as spectacular and controversial as it was three and a half years ago in Qatar. Nevertheless, Gianni Infantino does not hold back in praising his own work. (…) But in contrast to 2022, when he tried to give an epic speech in Qatar, the Valais native refrained from too much pathos.”

“Tagesanzeiger”: “Iran, tickets and visas – no problem for Gianni Infantino.”