US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino, warning that world football’s governing body would be making a “terrible mistake” if it moved to remove him from office. The intervention comes as the FIFA president faces mounting pressure from several of football’s most powerful confederations over a botched plan to sell off a stake in the men’s World Cup to private investors.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Infantino in glowing terms, insisting that FIFA’s fortunes were tied directly to the Swiss-Italian official remaining in charge. “FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote. “He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again!”
The comments arrive at one of the most turbulent moments of Infantino’s near decade-long tenure at the top of FIFA. Infantino was forced into an embarrassing climbdown last week after unveiling proposals to create a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have handed roughly 20 per cent ownership of World Cup revenues to outside investors. The plan was scrapped almost as quickly as it was announced, but the fallout has continued to engulf Infantino in the days since.
UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC, three of football’s six continental confederations, issued a stinging joint letter accusing Infantino of “deception” and a “fundamental breach of trust.” Without naming Infantino directly, the letter referred to a leader who had “abandoned their duty,” adding that the attempted sale of a World Cup stake represented “a profound failure of judgment.” UEFA has already threatened to boycott FIFA competitions while Infantino remains in post, a threat it reiterated only days ago.
Adding to the FIFA president’s troubles, UEFA confirmed over the weekend that a “departure payment” had been made to a female employee who was alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino during his time as the European body’s general secretary between 2009 and 2016. Reports suggested the payment ran into six figures and also covered tuition for an MBA course, though UEFA maintains the arrangement was “in line” with regulations at the time.
FIFA itself has rallied to Infantino’s defence, releasing a strongly worded statement accusing unnamed critics of trying to force him out without following the organisation’s democratic processes. “Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes,” the statement read, insisting that Infantino had dedicated more than three decades to the sport and that FIFA remained focused on its mission under his leadership.
US Soccer and Canada Soccer, two of the three federations that co-hosted this year’s World Cup alongside Mexico, joined the chorus of confederations calling for reform, saying they stood together with colleagues around the world “in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.”
Trump’s public support for Infantino is unlikely to surprise close observers of the pair’s relationship, which has grown notably close since the United States, alongside Mexico and Canada, staged this summer’s World Cup finals. The two men have appeared together at numerous events, and Trump has repeatedly praised Infantino’s stewardship of the tournament as historically successful. Whether that endorsement will be enough to shield Infantino from the growing institutional revolt against him remains to be seen, with confederations, member federations and now UEFA all applying pressure that has left his position looking more precarious than at any point since he first won the FIFA presidency.
