Targeted by criticism for the problems, the FIFA number one chose to defend himself by attacking. His theory” Football can’t solve all problems, so it’s better to relax…
Mr President “chill and relax” Gianni Infantino was unfazed by anything. Not even when the BBC correspondent asked him if he didn’t feel embarrassed in managing a bandwagon of which he seems to have lost control, exposed to the decisions of others and to the bad impression of rejections at the borders of people accredited for the World Cup or in possession of a regular ticket. Problems? What problems? Embarrassments? Not even thinking about it. On the contrary.
“I have an excellent relationship with President Trump – said Mr President -. Without his commitment, it would have simply been impossible to organize the World Cup in the United States. It is crucial to be able to discuss important issues with him and to be able to put everything on the table to explain, without making particular requests: that’s how I see it”. The rest of the world these days sees it a little differently but not enough to have convinced the Fifa number to keep a lower profile in the kilometre-long press conference on the eve of the start of the World Cup with the majestic stage of the Azzeca stadium in Mexico City behind him.
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Infantino was right about everything. An explanation for each of the dossiers that set fire on the eve of the first match, overwhelming logic and sometimes even the sense of reality. The Somali referee sent home because he was suspected of having links with a terrorist group, but perhaps just the victim of a case of homonymy? “An unfortunate and unfortunate situation.” “It is unpleasant what happened to Omar. But we cannot control everything. We are not at a higher level than governments, we are not the kings of the world: we are a sports organization and we try to do the best with the means we have.”
Visas denied to journalists, staff and fans? “We are a sports organisation. Sometimes it is good to calm down, relax, work on everything and try to solve every problem. Often starting to shout straight away has the opposite effect compared to finding a solution. What I ask the whole world to do is promote football unity. We must respect the decisions, which doesn’t mean doing nothing, because we have tried to find a positive solution, but sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t.” Other times, in reality, FIFA had simply chosen to remove the organization of a major event from those who did not align themselves as in the case of the canceled Under 20 World Cup in Indonesia.
“Chill and relax” said Infantino and when it was explained to him that the recipe was not convincing, he tried to argue by absolving himself and reeling off the numbers and records of an edition that he has already defined as the best ever and which will certainly be the richest. He has shielded himself from the presence of Iran, which will also have to submit to limitations that undermine the integrity of the competition given that Trump does not want them on American soil: “I’m very happy, when I went to visit the national team in Antalya in recent months, someone said it was impossible, but I promised that I would make it possible. It certainly wasn’t easy, I don’t know who else would have been able to guarantee it in these circumstances, but I was ready to personally drive the bus from Tehran. It wasn’t necessary, they drove it themselves.”
Tickets too expensive? It’s the fault of American habits, not FIFA. After all, it is his theory, the 104 matches of the extra-large World Cup will be “one hundred and four Superbowls” and, therefore, one should not be surprised that in the country that sells tickets for thousands of dollars, Zurich has also adapted. To do this, specified Mr “chill and relax” the best experts and lawyers were first questioned and this is also why FIFA maintains that it has nothing to fear from the investigations initiated by some local prosecutors.
An announced triumph, in short, with all due respect to the critics who are also targeting him from all over the world. Infantino’s last line of defense was that every dollar made from the World Cup month will be reinvested in football, even in distant and remote places where no one dares to invest a cent. And the dollars will be many, if it is true that Mr President’s 2026 World Cup will be the first in which football will resemble basketball to allow those who pay to pepper the live broadcasts with TV commercials; it will be played over four 22-minute halves, the cooling break has been institutionalized even when the weather conditions do not require it. There will be the mid-final show, the sponsors’ favorite terrain. It may be an American but woe betide him: “chill and relax”. And, if possible, spend.
