The Trump-loving president of FIFA is reportedly plotting to use his cozy relationship with the President of the United States for his organization’s own benefit.
Gianni Infantino, who presented his 79-year-old buddy with his soccer organization’s inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” in December, told senior FIFA management he was open to the idea of leveraging his friendship with President Donald Trump to impose a moratorium on ICE raids during the World Cup this summer, according to a New York Times report.
ICE’s increased nationwide presence since Trump took office last year has created uncertainty about this year’s FIFA World Cup, which will take place in the United States. Some lawmakers and labor unions worry that the agency’s aggressive immigration-enforcement raids may disrupt tournament matches and events.
The agency faced significant backlash nationwide after two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January, prompting a massive exodus of ICE officers from the state.
Some of the organization’s member federations, primarily European nations, privately expressed fears from fans about possible ICE activity at the World Cup, the Times reported.
Infantino, 56, has made his fondness for Trump known throughout the president’s second term. Aside from presenting Trump with FIFA’s sham “Peace Prize,” the Swiss soccer boss has appeared in the Oval Office several times and attended the president’s Board of Peace meetings.
Trump and Infantino were also seen together at the UFC 327 event in Miami on Saturday, as the FIFA president shared in a post on Instagram.
Four sources who spoke with the Times anonymously said that FIFA executives approached Infantino to ask him to request that Trump reduce ICE’s presence during the tournament, initially just at venues around the 11 host cities. However, the officials reportedly later changed their request, now asking to keep ICE at bay throughout the cities during the tournament’s 39-day schedule.
The Times reported that it was unclear whether Infantino had yet made the request of Trump, or whether the White House would be receptive to such a request to alter domestic policy from a global organization such as FIFA.
Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast in a statement: “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be one of the greatest and most spectacular events in the history of mankind, right here in the United States of America. This event will generate billions of dollars of economic impact and bring hundreds of thousands of jobs to our country. The President is focused on making this the greatest World Cup ever while ensuring it is the safest and most secure in history.”
The Daily Beast reached out to ICE and FIFA for comment.
Trump’s war on Iran made the Middle Eastern country’s status in the global tournament uncertain, but Infantino asserted that the Iranian national team would be free to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup. However, the nation declined the offer.
“Considering that this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Ahmad Donyamali, the country’s minister of sport, told state TV last month.
“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist. Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people,” Donyamali added. “Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”
