President Donald Trump’s long-time friend has schemed up a way to try to mend his boss’s relationship with a key European ally.
The president’s special envoy, Paolo Zampolli, suggested to Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino that Italy, a team that failed to qualify for this year’s tournament, replace Iran at the upcoming World Cup, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The plan was made in hopes of mending Trump’s fraught relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which fractured over the president’s feud with the pope, sources told the outlet.
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA president Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup,” Zampolli, who is credited with introducing Trump to Melania, told the FT. “I’m an Italian native, and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a U.S.-hosted tournament.”
“With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion,” the former modeling agent who reportedly tried to use his connections to ICE to aid in his custody battle with his Brazilian ex, added about the Italian national team, which has failed to qualify for three straight World Cups since 2018.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House and FIFA for comment.
The plot comes after Trump, 79, had a falling out with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, 49, over his beef with Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever American pontiff.
Meloni, who was the only European leader to attend Trump’s 2024 inauguration, said earlier this month that the president was wrong for criticizing the pope’s remarks promoting peace and condemning needless wars.
“I find President Trump’s remarks about the Holy Father unacceptable,” she said on April 13. “The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and natural for him to call for peace and condemn all forms of war.”
The president replied to Meloni’s remarks in typical Trump fashion the next day.
“Do Italians like the fact that your prime minister isn’t giving us any help to get oil?” Trump asked an Italian reporter on April 14. “Do people like her? I can’t imagine. I’m shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.”
“She’s no longer the same person, and Italy will never be the same country again,” he added about the right-wing populist Meloni. “Immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe.”
The rift between the two leaders first widened as a result of Trump’s war on Iran, which has shut down shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Italy’s reliance on the essential oil trade corridor led the country to bar U.S. warplanes from accessing its bases.
In the past, Trump had called Meloni a “fantastic woman,” and the Italian leader had refrained from criticizing the president.
Last month, Iran declined to participate in the World Cup as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war on the nation.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Iran’s sports and youth minister, Ahmad Donyamali, told state TV in March.
However, the Middle Eastern nation’s national team, Team Melli, may gear up for the tournament after all.
“If the safety of the national team’s players in the United States is ensured, we will travel to the World Cup,” Donyamali was quoted as saying by the country’s Tasnim news agency on Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera. “The decision will be made by the government and the Supreme National Security Council.”
