WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA against replacing its president Gianni Infantino, saying such a move would be a “terrible mistake” following controversy over the organisation’s abandoned commercial plans.
Trump offered his strongest public support yet for Infantino after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued an open letter saying trust had been damaged over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on social media.
“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.”
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup was hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Spain defeating Argentina in the final.
Commercial plan draws scrutiny
The abandoned FFE proposal involved establishing a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
Under the proposal, a 21% stake in the company would have been sold to a private investment firm.
Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, was expected to lead the proposed investor group. Kushner is the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump previously said he had not discussed the FFE proposal with Infantino.
The dispute has increased scrutiny of Infantino and FIFA’s management of its global commercial operations.
