Infantino hits back at World Cup critics and says they are spreading hate

In an open letter released on Monday, the 56-year-old said those attacking the competition had missed what millions of fans around the world actually experienced during the tournament hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, which ended with Spain lifting the trophy.

"You were so immersed in hate and criticism that you missed everything," Infantino wrote. "To those sitting behind pen and paper, behind screens spreading hate and false rumours, I want to say that while you are sitting there, we at FIFA are on the front line organising, working hard and delivering the best show in the world."

He also claimed the tournament had passed without any serious safety problems.

"We had no violence, no incidents, absolute safety and security, only joy and happiness."

The comments come after FIFA faced criticism on several fronts during the tournament. That included debate over US visa restrictions affecting fans and officials from certain countries, as well as wider concerns around teams arriving from politically sensitive or conflict-hit regions. There was also scrutiny of FIFA's handling of disciplinary matters, especially after Folarin Balogun's automatic 1-match suspension following his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was lifted after intervention from US president Donald Trump.

Refereeing decisions in the Argentina vs Egypt match also became a major talking point. Infantino did not mention those cases directly, but he argued that disputed refereeing and disciplinary decisions are common across football and should not be treated as if they were unique to this World Cup.

"Red or yellow cards can be shown wrongly or decisions can later be taken not to suspend players in certain cases. That is normal and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues in the world," he said. "It is strange that the very countries using those measures are the ones criticising them."

Infantino also pointed to the presence of teams facing political tension, internal crisis or public health challenges as proof that football can rise above division. He highlighted Iran's participation despite the backdrop of conflict with the US and referred more broadly to issues involving Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Iran entered the United States without incident or conflict. The Iranian team received entry visas because football is about peace, not politics," he said. "When football brings Haiti to the world, a country many cannot or do not want to visit, maybe it is time to put the pen and keyboard aside and show some respect for the teams who took part."

The tone of the letter was unmistakable. Infantino was not trying to calm the debate, he was trying to win it.