FIFA President Gianni Infantino has responded to the Iranian visa issue and the denial of Somali referee Omar Altan from entering the United States.
Gianni Infantino delivers verdict on visa issue of Iranian-Somali referee Omar Altan
Coach Gianni Infantino called on critics to “calm down and relax” following the backlash FIFA received after Somali referee Omar Altan was denied entry to the United States The FIFA president addressed several topics at a press conference on Wednesday, revealing that he was scheduled to drive the Iranian national team bus from Tehran to the United States to take the team to the World Cup.
It was Infantino’s first public address in three years, discussing a number of controversial topics ahead of the tournament, which begins Thursday. Iran was, unsurprisingly, one of the countries to which the soccer federation had already issued several statements, in addition to the visa issues faced upon arrival in the United States.
Regarding Iran, he said: “I’m very happy, because in March I went to Turkey to watch the Iranian national team play and people said it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup. I promised them they would come and if I have to take a bus to Tehran and drive there, I will.”
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It’s great that Iran is participating in the tournament despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but Somalia’s Omar Altan will not be participating. He was not allowed to enter the country earlier this week, and a White House representative said he was denied entry due to his “association with a suspected terrorist organization.”
Now, Infantino has given his thoughts on the situation, which has seen the 56-year-old making bizarre claims.
He said: “The third point about visas, which we’ve often heard and read about, is that in terms of the United States, we were able to coordinate the FIFA pass system with the United States government.
Referee Omar Altan received a warm welcome after returning to Somalia after being refused entry to the United States for the World Cup (Image: Dalsan TV)
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“We’re hearing that the expedited process is working, but it may not necessarily be working for everyone. We’ve gotten the deposits and payments that have to be made to some African countries waived for those coming, and we’ve gotten that for our fans as well.”
“Obviously it’s unfortunate what happened to referee Omar, who is from Somalia, but again, we can’t control everything.”
“We will try, we will discuss, we will see. Sometimes it is good to ‘chill out’ and relax. We work on everything. We will try to resolve everything.
“Screaming right away is the opposite of finding a solution. Believe it or not, we always try to find solutions, but we have to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can overpower the government or the police, we are a sporting organization and we will do our best and do everything possible.
“In conclusion, we want to unite the world. I just want to ask you one thing: If you want to criticize me, you can criticize me, but please promote the unity of the World Cup and feel the excitement of the World Cup when you are a child. We want to unite the world, so I want you to feel that.”
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