SKIP TO CONTENT SKIP TO SITE INDEX SECTION NAVIGATION Search SUBSCRIBE FOR €0.50/WEEK LOG IN War in the Middle East LIVEUpdates 5m ago Negotiations A Dangerous Limbo Lebanon Trapped in Conflict Strait of Hormuz ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT FIFA President Tells World Cup Critics to ‘Chill’ About Concerns With the World Cup facing growing crises, Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, struck a defiant tone on the eve of the competition’s start.

Listen · 2:51 min Share full article FIFA is trying its best, Gianni Infantino said during a news conference on Wednesday, but “we don’t control everything.” Credit... Carl Recine/Getty Images By Tariq Panja Reporting from Mexico City June 10, 2026 See more of our coverage in your search results.

Add The New York Times on Google On the eve of a soccer World Cup that has been churned by controversies, negative headlines and complaints, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said on Wednesday that he had no regrets. Mr. Infantino, in Mexico City ahead of the opening game for the biggest tournament in the World Cup’s nearly 100-year history, struck a defiant tone as he took aim at critics who have attacked FIFA over how it has dealt with issues like record ticket prices, visa restrictions and the fate of Iran’s soccer team.

The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey are investigating FIFA over its ticket pricing policy and whether fans making purchases were deceived by the soccer body. Mr. Infantino said he was “relaxed” because FIFA had consulted lawyers and experts before selling the tickets, which cost as much as 10 times what they cost in the previous World Cup. “If we’ve done something wrong, probably everybody in North America is selling tickets wrong as well,” he said at a news conference.

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like. Tariq Panja is a global sports correspondent, focusing on stories where money, geopolitics and crime intersect with the sports world. See more on: International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, U.S.

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