FIFA president Gianni Infantino and United States President Donald Trump presented Spain with the World Cup after they beat Argentina in the 2026 finale. File Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
July 27 (UPI) -- FIFA president Gianni Infantino took aim at critics of the 2026 World Cup, accusing them of "spreading hate and false rumors" in a long statement.
Infantino, who attended 44 matches during the tournament, posted the 881-word statement Sunday on Instagram. It also was distributed by FIFA.
"To everyone who missed our beautiful game, the emotions, the celebrations, the laughter, the crying, the deception, and the joy," Infantino wrote. "To all of you who missed watching kids, babies, grandparents, and parents come together for the beautiful game, I say sorry that the matches are now over and sorry that you missed all that joy and togetherness. Sorry that you were so consumed by hate and criticism that you missed it all.
"To those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumors, I want to say that while you are sitting behind, we at FIFA are on the front lines organizing, working hard, and delivering the best show in the world.
