{"id":558946,"date":"2026-07-29T11:29:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/?p=558946"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:29:41","slug":"infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Most oppressed\u2019
\n 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 The 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. Iran\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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Most oppressed\u2019 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nInfantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Most oppressed\u2019 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 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daily Lead Pakistan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DailyLeadPak\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Web Desk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DailyLeadPak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@DailyLeadPak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Web Desk\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Web Desk\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ef8309590ff620a99ce35559f54fd62\"},\"headline\":\"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":234,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Daily Lead Pakistan\",\"description\":\"Daily Lead Pakistan\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Daily lead Pakistan\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/logo3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/04\\\/logo3.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":154,\"caption\":\"Daily lead Pakistan\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/DailyLeadPak\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/DailyLeadPak\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/DailyLeadPak\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ef8309590ff620a99ce35559f54fd62\",\"name\":\"Web Desk\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Web Desk\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/leadpakistan.com.pk\\\/news\\\/author\\\/edt\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019","og_description":"\u2018Most oppressed\u2019 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 […]","og_url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/","og_site_name":"Daily Lead Pakistan","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DailyLeadPak\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Web Desk","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@DailyLeadPak","twitter_site":"@DailyLeadPak","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Web Desk","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Web Desk","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6ef8309590ff620a99ce35559f54fd62"},"headline":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019","datePublished":"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/"},"wordCount":234,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/","url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/","name":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-29T06:29:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp__20260719__c2l37wn__v4__midres__topshotfblwc2026match104espargfinal-news-1785213420126115.webp","width":1000,"height":667},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/infantino-slams-world-cup-critics-for-spreading-hate-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Infantino slams World Cup critics for \u2018spreading hate\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/","name":"Daily Lead Pakistan","description":"Daily Lead Pakistan","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#organization","name":"Daily lead Pakistan","url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logo3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/logo3.jpg","width":1000,"height":154,"caption":"Daily lead Pakistan"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DailyLeadPak\/","https:\/\/x.com\/DailyLeadPak","https:\/\/instagram.com\/DailyLeadPak\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6ef8309590ff620a99ce35559f54fd62","name":"Web Desk","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41f05ebf0a510062a26cf1d9e662155a6901c6733aa66a6c0f61daea3d680dc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Web Desk"},"url":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/author\/edt\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558946"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":558953,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558946\/revisions\/558953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}