President Donald Trump defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid backlash over his handling of a plan to sell an interest in the World Cup, warning soccer federations they would make a “terrible mistake” if they force Infantino out.
In a message posted to Truth Social Monday night, Trump said FIFA “would never be as successful or profitable” without Infantino.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump posted.
“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT.”
Federations in Europe, North America, and Asia said Monday in an “open letter to the football family” that Infantino’s failed commercial proposal for the World Cup was a “fundamental breach of trust” with the institutions the sport’s global governing body serves.
UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC also declared that “when trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future. It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today,” the letter said.
Also on Monday, U.S. Soccer, which is a Concacaf member, issued an additional statement supporting Concacaf.
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“U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability,” the statement read.
Infantino apologized for his proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA’s tournaments, with an idea to sell off around 20% to private investors.
The letter has urged FIFA to conduct an independent review of Infantino’s scheme, without naming the Swiss executive directly.
“A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before member associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny,” the letter continues.
“It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment – not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.”
Read more:FIFA hits out at campaign to ‘undermine’ president Infantino
UEFA said last week that its participating members could still boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, despite Infantino’s apology for his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Infantino has served as FIFA president since his initial election on Feb. 26, 2016. His current term runs through 2027, and he has announced his bid for re-election to extend his tenure to 2031.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
