MEXICO CITY (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices on Wednesday, saying, “if we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong.”Infantino spoke with reporters during a rare question-and-answer session on the eve of the opening match of an expanded 48-nation, 104-game World Cup tournament. He defended record ticket prices, said FIFA was powerless to get the US government to admit a Somali referee, and praised his ability to get Iran’s national soccer team into the United States.FIFA priced tickets starting at US$140 for group-stage games, but regular seats for the July 19 final outside New York were listed at up to US$8,680 and hospitality seats at up to US$73,200. It raised prices for the final to US$10,990 and then US$32,970.After much criticism, FIFA offered US$60 tickets to national federations for their regular supporters. Infantino said 130,000 tickets were offered in that category.Four years ago at the tournament in Qatar, prices ranged from US$69 to US$1,607.“If you sell it at a lower price point,” he said, “in this particular market, it would have gone, which is perfectly legal in this country ... in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices, and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organise secondary markets or black market activities and not to football.”Infantino said it was unfortunate Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US.“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we'll speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” he said. “We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”Set to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup, Artan was denied entry to the US at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns,” US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns.“Our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions that are taken,” Infantino said. “We are working behind the scenes.”Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.