Gianni Infantino spoke to diplomats and world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday when he made the striking announcement that appeared to dunk on Brits
FIFA’S boss Gianni Infantino has made a sly dig at British football fans as he gears up for the World Cup. With just months to go until the tournament kicks off, final preparations for the event are now in motion.
The World Cup is set to take place across Canada, the US and Mexico this summer after Qatar’s controversial hosting of the tournament in the winter of 2022. However, following US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions, some pundits have called for the US to be stripped of its right to host.
But as the teams begin their preparations to fly out to the tournament, Infantino has made a brutal jibe at fans from Britain. It comes as fan outrage caused the organisation to release cheaper tickets ahead of the competition.
Speaking to world leaders and diplomats at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday (January 22), Gianni Infantino said that not a single British football fan was arrested during the Qatar World Cup. He explained this was a momentous occasion for not just Britain, but football in general.
“For the first time in history, no Brit was arrested during the World Cup,” he joked as he spoke on the plinth. “Imagine; this is something really special.”
Fans were quick to call out Infantino on his comment, however, as many said the joke was in poor taste. “Such a poor joke that’s not even close to being accurate given there was no British nations at World Cup 1994 and plenty of other world cups,” one annoyed user wrote on social media.
A second added: “NOT TRUE! We didn’t qualify for USA 94!” While a third chimed in: “The World Cup in Qatar where alcohol was restricted and expensive; I wonder why?”
British football fans have long been regarded as some of the worst-behaving supporters of the game, due to their apparent hooliganism and problems with drinking during games. For decades, a ban was put in place at stadiums to stop fans from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from consuming alcohol; however, this has been lifted in time for the 2026 tournament.
However, this does not mean that those who come to Canada, the US or Mexico will be served alcohol ahead of the games, nor will it guarantee their safety. England fans looking to travel to the US will have to “show respect” according to locals as the Three Lions are set to face off against Croatia in their first match of the tournament.
England fan Paul Limpitlaw left the UK for Dallas several years ago and said that Brits looking to get tipsy will see things “escalate very quickly”. He added that locals have no problem pulling out guns if they feel threatened.
“I don’t expect England fans to kick off large-scale trouble here,” he said. “But they should know that situations could escalate very quickly if they do.”
It comes as the ticket price fiasco continues to cast a shadow over preparations as FIFA was forced to cave in and offer reduced-cost tickets to those who want to travel to North America to see their favourites. Some tickets could have set fans back several thousand, which FIFA initially defended, saying people would pay more based on the popularity of the team.
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