Gianni Infantino isn't taking the criticism quietly. The FIFA president fired back at detractors of the 2026 World Cup in an open letter published Monday, accusing them of "spreading hate and false rumours" while the tournament — which Spain ultimately won across venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico — delivered what he called the greatest show on earth.
"You were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all," Infantino wrote. Sharp words. Whether they're earned is a different conversation.
What the critics were actually criticising
Infantino's letter didn't emerge in a vacuum. FIFA faced a string of controversies throughout the tournament that were hard to dismiss as bad-faith nitpicking.
The Folarin Balogun case was a genuine governance headache — a red card automatic ban suspended after Donald Trump intervened, the kind of situation that makes you wonder exactly where the line is between sporting independence and political convenience. Infantino didn't name it directly, but he addressed it in the broadest terms: "Potentially mistaken red or yellow cards or subsequent decisions not to ban players in certain situations are routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide." That argument will do exactly nothing to satisfy those who saw it as a one-of-a-kind situation with one-of-a-kind political fingerprints.
Refereeing decisions in Argentina's match against Egypt also drew sustained scrutiny from fans and analysts. Again, no specifics from Infantino — just the suggestion that critics are hypocrites, pointing out that the same countries complaining about officiating employ the same practices domestically.
The visa rows Infantino is prouder of
On the visa controversies, Infantino was on firmer ground. Iran participated without incident despite geopolitical tension with the host nation. Haiti brought its team despite a crippling domestic crisis. Countries dealing with serious health challenges received clearance. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was barred entry despite holding a valid visa — that one remains a genuine stain — but Infantino pointed to the broader picture of football operating across political lines as evidence the tournament meant something.
"Football brought Haiti to the world," he wrote. "It might be time to set aside your pens and keyboards and show some respect to the teams that played."
The letter is unlikely to silence anyone. Critics of FIFA's governance rarely need much encouragement to keep going, and several of the complaints raised during this tournament — the Balogun decision especially — had enough substance to outlast a strongly-worded open letter. Infantino knows that. He also knows that for hundreds of millions of fans who watched Spain lift the trophy, none of the off-field noise registered at all.
That gap between institutional controversy and fan experience is the whole story here. And both sides have a point.
