Infantino says people should 'chill' over Somali referee being denied US entry for World Cup

Artan had anticipated being one of seven elite African referees officiating at the World Cup, but was refused entry to the US at the final moment.

The 34-year-old would have been the first Somali to take charge of a World Cup match, but that ambition was taken from him after he was interrogated for 11 hours by US border officials.

He has since returned home to a hero's welcome, with the Trump administration claiming he had unproven links to 'terrorism'.

Speaking in a press conference the day before the tournament, Infantino chose not to support Artan, instead downplaying the issue.

“When we face challenges, we have to deal with them,” he said.

“Sometimes we can resolve them and other times we cannot, and we try simply to make the best of it.

“I don't regret anything. I've been organising events for the last 30 years and I'm quite used to handling issues, both big and small.

“What happened to Omar was unfortunate, but we don't control everything. We try, we discuss, we speak and we see.

"Maybe sometimes it's also good to just, you know, chill, relax.”