FIFA president Gianni Infantino urged critics to "chill and relax" following the refusal of Somali referee Omar Artan's entry to the United States ahead of the World Cup.Speaking at a 66-minute press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, the eve of the tournament's opening match, Infantino labelled the incident "unfortunate" whilst maintaining that football's governing body has limited power over national authorities."We don't control everything," he stated. "Maybe sometimes it is good as well to just chill and relax."The FIFA chief cautioned that "screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution."Artan was turned away at Miami International Airport on Saturday after arriving from Istanbul.The US State Department provided justification for the decision, with an official stating that Artan was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations," rendering him ineligible for admission to the country.Artan, who was voted Africa's leading men's referee last year, maintained he possessed the correct visa documentation for entry. He was subsequently placed on a return flight to Turkey.The 2026 tournament would have marked a historic moment for Somali football, with Artan set to become the first match official from the East African nation to participate in a World Cup finals.Infantino defended FIFA's position by drawing a comparison with future tournaments, noting that the 2035 Women's World Cup is expected to be held in the United Kingdom."Would you find it normal that FIFA would dictate to the British Government who to let in the country and who not to let in the country?" he asked reporters.The Swiss administrator emphasised that global security concerns take precedence, stating: "Our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything."He later clarified his earlier remarks, explaining: "When I say 'chill', I don't mean 'chill and do nothing', I mean to trust us."Infantino insisted FIFA consistently works towards positive outcomes, acknowledging that success is not always achievable.The FIFA president also addressed Iran's participation in the tournament, which has faced uncertainty following US and Israeli air strikes on the country in February."I am very happy, because I went to see the Iranian team myself, and when people say it would be impossible for them to come, I promised them that they would come," Infantino said.Iran's football federation announced on Tuesday that its ticket allocation had been withdrawn, just days before their opening group match against New Zealand on 16 June."There are challenges, and of course, it is not easy," Infantino acknowledged, whilst expressing hope for a positive atmosphere when Iran take to the pitch.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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Long before he became the voice of college football Saturdays on FOX, Joel Klatt made a decision that only makes sense to anyone who grew up playing EA Sports College Football. During his freshman season at Colorado, Klatt was given No. 14 as a walk-on quarterback. He eventually had the opportunity to change it before becoming the Buffaloes' starter the following year. He never did. The reason? He knew the video game would have Colorado's starting quarterback wearing No. 14. Now, 23 years later, Klatt is the new color commentator in EA Sports College Football 27. Our team at FOX Sports caught up with Klatt to get a behind-the-scenes look at how he became the voice of the game. Whats the story behind you becoming the voice of the new EA Sports college football game, and what was the process like from that first conversation to officially landing the role? The process was actually painless. EA contacted my agency, and they did a great job of fostering that relationship. It was pretty well set before I even knew about it. I was incredibly excited. We had a Zoom with some of the executives at EA, and from that point, we signed the deal and started scheduling recording sessions. Youve spent years calling college football games. How different is it recording commentary for a video game versus calling a game in real-time on a college football Saturday? Its so different calling games for the video game. I would spend all day in one recording session just calling touchdowns. Youre not actually calling a game in sequence. Youre just trying to just take each situation for its own and give a line for that situation. Typically, each situation will have variables. You can talk about the defensive perspective, the offensive perspective, or the player perspective. It was very different and very compartmentalized, but it was certainly a cool experience. What was your familiarity with this game and was there a "this is actually happening" moment for you? Im very familiar with the game. Ive got three boys 14, 12 and nine. They play the game. I played the game when it had its previous version. In fact, when I was playing at Colorado, they just gave me the number 14 when I walked on, and I had the option to switch my jersey number before my sophomore year, which was going to be my first year as the starting quarterback. But I didnt change my number because I knew the game would have my No. 14 as the starting quarterback at Colorado. Ive loved the game for a long time, and there was certainly part of me that, as I was recording, was thinking to myself, I cant believe Im actually doing this. What actually went into becoming the voice of the game from the recording sessions, to the scripting, to trying to make reactions sound natural for so many different in-game moments? We did a lot of hard work. My first question to the folks at EA was if there was going to be AI support. They made it very clear that this was all going to be essentially manual. I would have recording sessions two hours at a time, and since they were based in Orlando, they came out and set up a little sound booth in my house. I would get on Zoom two to three times per week, typically at 6 a.m., and we would go through our sessions. I wanted to get in as many sessions as I could possibly get in before the game went to market. This was a lot of hard work. I think we ended up doing close to 90 hours of recording and thousands of lines, but it was certainly fun. They would send me a script, and the script was basically just situations. I didn't think I would do well just reading lines, so I started just getting situations. I would talk about the offensive line, the running backs fighting for extra yards and being able to move the chains. And that's how it went. With everything you learned working on the game, if you had to pick one team right now to win a national title in EA Sports College Football 27, who are you taking and why? From what I know about the game and some of the player ratings after the transfer portal, I know that Ohio State is going to be very good in the game. I think Indiana is going to be very good. I know Oregon is going to be very good, and Texas. Basically, they kind of nailed what a preseason top 10 would look like. So, any of those teams, I think, will have a great chance to win a national championship. Where does becoming the voice of this game rank among the coolest experiences youve had in your career covering college football and did it hit you at any point just how big of a deal this is for fans? I've been so fortunate in this career, and done a lot of incredible things, even outside of college football. I got to call the U.S. Open and interview the players after they finished 18 at Pebble Beach. That was incredible. I've done studio shows at the Super Bowl when I was a host. I've called Big Ten championship games and Michigan vs. Ohio State. I will tell you that this absolutely ranks up there as one of the highlights of my career. It's such an iconic brand and game. They do such an incredible job honoring college football. They love college football, and to be a part of that team and to further something that is really special in our space is a real highlight. It's certainly one of the best things that I've ever done in my career. This is very cool.

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ST. CLAIR As the sixth man of the 1994 St. Clair High School boys basketball team, which won a program-record 22 games, Cliff Freeland was known for his tenacity.So, once hired as the school's girls soccer coach 24 years later, he began building around that very quality."We always had a chip on our shoulder (when I was playing) and I wanted to go back to that," Freeland said. "When I took over the program, I wanted (my players) to be a little old school gritty, tough and outwork everybody we played. We may not always be the most talented team, but nobody was ever going to outwork us."Over the next eight years, the Saints worked their way up the Macomb Area Conference and beyond. Now, after stepping down as coach on Monday, June 8, Freeland's work is done."I always said to myself that I would know when the time was right," Freeland told the Times Herald. "Everything that I do, I pour my heart and soul into it. The last couple years, when the season has been over, with my job, I've been honestly physically and mentally exhausted. I just knew it was the right time to hang it up."St. Clair went 110-31-19 over his tenure, which included six MHSAA Division 2 district championships (2018, 2021-24, 2026) and three league titles (MAC Blue, 2022-23; MAC White, 2026). The Saints never had a losing season under Freeland."My kids over-exceeded any expectations I ever had of them and their effort," Freeland said. "There's many a times that we beat teams that were probably better than us on paper, simply because we worked harder."In 2018, his first season as coach, St. Clair competed in the MAC Gold. The Saints moved up to the MAC Blue the following year. Then, in 2025, they rose to the MAC White. Next season, St. Clair will ascend once again, this time to the MAC Red the highest division in the Macomb Area Conference."I'm most proud of the culture that we built," Freeland said. "A winning culture, done the right way, with hard work and no quit. I'm just so proud that the St. Clair girls soccer program is known throughout the state now. "We're known not as a team that's just okay, we're known as a powerhouse a team that's always going to be there at the end of the season. It just means a lot. To climb like we did eight years, three divisions it says a lot about the players I had."The high school is currently accepting applications for a new girls soccer coach. Anyone interested should visit the human resources page on the East China School District website (www.eastchinaschools.org/page/humanresources). Then, click on the tab labeled "East China School District Positions.""I'm looking forward to watching the program in the future," Freeland said. "I will continue to be a giant fan. I'll be a lot of games. I'm just really excited for what the program has become. I want to see it continue with longevity and I know it will. Because (we have) great kids and just a great community that supports the team."Contact Brenden Welper atbwelper@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter,@BrendenWelper.This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Cliff Freeland steps down as St. Clair girls high school soccer coach