Artan had expected to be one of seven elite African referees to be officiating at the World Cup, but was denied entry to the US at the last minute.
The 34-year-old would have been the first Somali to take charge of a World Cup game, but that dream was stripped 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 - ‘terror’ ties.
Speaking in a press conference on the day before the tournament, Infantino opted against coming out in support of Artan, instead playing down the matter.
“When we are confronted with challenges, we have to deal with them,” he said.
“Sometimes we can solve them and other times we cannot and we try just to make the best.
“I don’t regret anything. I’ve been organising events for the last 30 years and I’m pretty much used to dealing with issues, 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 good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.”