FIFA president tells Somalia referee denied U.S. entry to ‘chill, relax’
When a reporter pushed back, pointing to wider concerns about travel bans, visa hurdles and changes to team arrangements ahead of the competition, Infantino said he was not calling for passivity.
Diyar GuldoganThursday June 11, 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday brushed aside mounting criticism over travel and visa disputes tied to the 2026 World Cup, urging detractors to “chill, relax” while defending the governing body’s response to the denial of entry to a Somali referee and other restrictions affecting teams, journalists and fans.
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Addressing reporters in Mexico before the tournament, Infantino said the US decision to deny entry to Somali international referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was “unfortunate,” but emphasized that FIFA cannot overrule sovereign governments.
“It is unfortunate as well what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything… Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just, you know, chill, relax. We work on everything; we try to solve everything,” Infantino said.
When a reporter pushed back, pointing to wider concerns about travel bans, visa hurdles and changes to team arrangements ahead of the competition, Infantino said he was not calling for passivity.
“When I say to chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing,” he said. “I mean, trust us that we are working behind the scenes; we are trying to understand… and we always try to make the situation as positive as possible and to find solutions.”
He said FIFA is focused on practical fixes wherever it can, while recognizing the limits of working with several governments that maintain different policies.
“You know, again, we don’t live on the moon; we live on the planet Earth, and you have to deal with different situations. We try to do our best. We try to do our best, and I hope we’ll have some good news,” Infantino said.
The Somali government on Wednesday said it regretted the denial of entry to Artan, who had been scheduled to officiate at the FIFA World Cup in the United States.
“Somalia will continue engaging with relevant partners to seek further clarification regarding this matter and to safeguard the dignity and rights of its citizens,” the government said in a statement.
A senior White House official on Tuesday defended the move to block several international participants from entering the US for the World Cup, saying the restrictions are needed to maintain safety.
Artan, who was set to become the first Somali referee to work at a FIFA World Cup, returned to Somalia from Istanbul on Wednesday.
