PARIS
\nFIFA President Gianni Infantino has hit back at World Cup critics, claiming they were \u201cspreading hate and false rumours\u201d and arguing the tournament delivered \u201conly joy and happiness\u201d.
\nIn a long open letter published on Monday, Infantino urged detractors to \u201ctake a moment to reflect, meditate, pray\u201d after a tournament marked by controversies ranging from ticket pricing to visa issues.
\n\u201cSorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all,\u201d Infantino wrote in a post shared on his Instagram account and FIFA\u2019s official channels.
\n\u201cTo those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens, spreading hate and false rumours, I want to say that while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organising, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world.
\n\u201cWe experienced no violence, no incidents, 100% safety and security, only joy and happiness!\u201d
\nThe build-up to the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States was dominated by fears over sky-high prices, geopolitical tension, the shadow of conflict and the threat of brutal summer heat across the three host nations.
\nIran\u2019s participation against the backdrop of war with the United States, along with concerns over Haiti\u2019s domestic crisis and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, brought renewed scrutiny to visa and travel restrictions.
\nSomali referee Omar Artan became arguably the highest-profile casualty of President Donald Trump\u2019s hardline immigration crackdown, when he was denied entry to the United States.
\nInfantino, however, defended FIFA\u2019s handling of the tournament.
\n\u201cWhile you spread hatred, we worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war. Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe Iranian team received visas to enter because football is about peace. It\u2019s not about politics.\u201d
\n\u201cCountries facing serious health issues or other challenges were granted visas,\u201d Infantino added.
\n\u201cYou mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hit back at World Cup critics, claiming they were \u201cspreading hate and false rumours\u201d and arguing the tournament delivered \u201conly joy and happiness\u201d. In a long open letter published on Monday, Infantino urged detractors to \u201ctake a moment to reflect, meditate, pray\u201d after a tournament marked by controversies ranging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n