President Donald Trump has come out swinging for his under-fire FIFA shill, Gianni Infantino.
The Swiss soccer administrator finds himself in a sticky spot after it was revealed that he spearheaded a move to sell off a hefty chunk of the rights to the organization’s competitions, including the World Cup, the crown jewel of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body.
The idea, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise, was revealed by the Times of London about a week after the World Cup final. It was immediately, and ferociously, panned by the football world, including regional associations under FIFA.
The blowback to the idea has been so intense that it has been scrapped and Infantino, 56, looks to be clinging onto power, with not many allies rushing to his aid. However, perhaps because of his jaw-dropping charm offensive on Trump—for whom he created the FIFA Peace Prize last year—he still has one powerful backer.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” the 80-year-old wrote on Truth Social on Monday evening, breaking his silence on the matter and throwing his weight behind his friend.
“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!”
Infatino earns $6 million a year in his position and, as The Times put it, the job—along with flying on a private jet and hanging out with celebrities and world leaders—has “become his sole identity.” He would have got a $30 million salary if his plan went through, according to reports.
It comes after Infantino received yet another blow from the soccer world when the presidents and general secretaries of European governing body UEFA, North & Central American and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) called for his resignation in an open letter on Monday.
“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding—or demanding—power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it,” the letter read.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”
The blowback started when UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, threatened to pull all European nations from FIFA competitions. Soon after, CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, joined its European counterparts in boycotting; then the Asian federations said it “stood with” the other two.
UEFA, fellow FIFA administrators and even the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, Andy Burnham, publicly heaped scorn on Infantino. But he is clinging on. On Saturday, the organization hit back, crying foul over a “concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its President.”
That came after reporting turned personal. The Daily Telegraph in London reported last week that married Infantino had an affair with a junior employee while he was the general secretary of UEFA, and his alleged lover was paid “a six-figure sum” when she left the organization.
Infantino does have some support, with CONMEBOL (South America) and CAF (Africa) on his side. Mexico has broken ranks with its administration, CONCACAF, to back him, too.
But now he has perhaps his most powerful backer yet.
Trump has a vested interest in the Enterprise. Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is the president’s son-in-law, was slated to invest in the enterprise through his company, Thrive Eternal.
Infantino spent months leading up to the World Cup lavishing Trump with shiny gold gifts and furnishing him with compliments.
He also created a Peace Prize and awarded it to the president, opened a FIFA office in Trump Tower in New York, and allowed the Club World Cup trophy to be displayed in the Oval Office. He also laughed along during Trump’s inauguration speech as the president threatened World Cup co-hosts Canada and Mexico.
Last week, Infantino appeared to borrow directly from Trump’s rhetorical playbook, describing critics of the World Cup’s organization as being “so consumed by hate and criticism.”
Infantino, who was first elected in 2016 and ran unopposed in 2019 and 2023, reportedly scrambled to the Trump administration when his plan unraveled. The New York Post reported last week that he had repeatedly tried and failed to reach Trump by phone after the deal collapsed, and instead scheduled a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
