Donald Trump, the US president, declared that it would be a terrible mistake for FIFA to replace Gianni Infantino, the embattled FIFA president. Trump issued the statement in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
He wrote that FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, it even considered replacing Infantino. Trump described Infantino as fantastic. He added that Infantino had just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented.
Trump further stated that if Infantino were gone, FIFA would never be as successful or profitable again. The 2026 World Cup was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Spain won the tournament after defeating Argentina in the final.
Trump’s comments marked his first public defence of Infantino since plans for the FIFA Forward Enterprise came to light. The proposal sought to create a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including World Cups, with a stake sold to private investors.
The plan faced strong opposition and was later withdrawn. UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation issued an open letter. They accused Infantino of breaking trust through deception. The confederations called for a fully independent review of the matter.
Trump and Infantino had developed a close relationship ahead of the tournament. Infantino previously awarded Trump the FIFA Peace Prize. Trump attended the World Cup final and helped present the trophy.
Trump’s backing came as calls for Infantino to step down intensified. Some confederations held talks about alternative competitions. Infantino faced questions over his leadership ahead of the next FIFA presidential election.
