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President Donald Trump finally chimed in on the rising opposition to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Since Infantino’s failed FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup in late July, major soccer figures have called for a leadership change at the sport’s global governing body.
On Monday morning, the presidents of the continental soccer bodies of Europe, North America, and Asia—who are also FIFA vice presidents—published a joint letter accusing Infantino of “deception” and FIFA of “fearmongering” in its communications with member associations.
Trump was asked about Infantino’s FFE on July 31 before the plan was called off later that day. The U.S. president did not rush to defend his friend or anticipated lead investor Joshua Kusher, whose family has multiple ties to Trump. All Trump said was: ‘“No, I never spoke to him,” referring to Infantino.
With pressure mounting on Infantino—including from U.S. Soccer—Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Monday night.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” he 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!”
Infantino just closed a $15 billion World Cup cycle, the most lucrative in FIFA history, which is part of why he’s maintained the backing of several member associations including Mexico and the UAE, as well as the continental confederations of Africa and South America. (Africa’s CAF said it unanimously supports him, while South America’s CONMEBOL said it wouldn’t back a quick move to topple him.)
But several countries have also pulled their endorsements of Infantino for the upcoming FIFA presidential election in March, including Finland, Wales, Serbia, and England. The Swiss official is currently running unopposed.
Europe’s UEFA said last week it will maintain the boycott of all FIFA tournaments that it had threatened during the FFE saga, saying its “conditions have not been met” to ensure “such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.”
Monday’s letter repeated a similar message. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgement – not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve,” the soccer leaders wrote.
U.S. Soccer shared the letter, and said that along with all CONCACAF soccer bodies aside from Mexico, it is “calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.”
Now, Trump is breaking from his country’s federation, which is unsurprising given the two figureheads have had a close relationship in the years leading up to the World Cup.
Infantino was late to his own FIFA Congress in 2025 because he was accompanying Trump on official visits in the Middle East. He also attended Trump’s Gaza peace talks, said Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize, and awarded him the first FIFA peace prize. FIFA opened an office in Trump Tower in New York, where the two leaders held an event the weekend of the World Cup final. At both the Club World Cup final last summer and the World Cup final in July, the two jointly presented the championship trophy, and Trump stuck around for the photo ops of the trophy lifts.
During the World Cup scandal surrounding U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card, Trump said he called Infantino, and said FIFA’s reversal of the call was “yet another of his many good decisions.”
“So, yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump said. “I spoke to a man who is highly respected, and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold.”
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