Trump urges Fifa to retain Infantino amid sell-off dispute
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Donald Trump has publicly intervened in the crisis engulfing Fifa president Gianni Infantino, warning on Truth Social that removing him would be a "terrible mistake" for world football. The intervention follows reports that Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf have escalated their response to Infantino's botched World Cup sell-off plan, holding initial talks about organising their own rival competitions and accusing him of "deception" in an open letter.
Trump praised Infantino as "fantastic", crediting him with presiding over the "most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented" and warning it would "never be as successful or profitable again" without him. The row centres on Infantino's proposal to create Fifa Forward Enterprise, a company that would have sold around 20% of the men's World Cup's commercial and operational rights to private investors, a plan he has since apologised for. The three confederations, which oversee football across Europe, Asia and North/Central America and the Caribbean, want an independent review and are reportedly willing to let Infantino resign with dignity ahead of Fifa's presidential election in March, while Uefa has previously threatened a boycott of Fifa competitions.
- Trump publicly backs Fifa's Infantino, calling his removal a "terrible mistake"
- Uefa, AFC and Concacaf accuse Infantino of "deception", weigh rival competitions
- Row stems from Infantino's scrapped plan to sell 20% of World Cup rights
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Trump's intervention brings the US president into a row over the running of Fifa, football's global governing body, which organises the World Cup and oversees the sport worldwide. Gianni Infantino has been Fifa president since 2016 and has built a close relationship with Trump, notably during preparations for this year's World Cup in the United States. That closeness is now under scrutiny as Infantino faces criticism from within football's own establishment.
The immediate trigger is a proposal called Fifa Forward Enterprise, under which Fifa would have sold around a fifth of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors. Uefa (European football's governing body), the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, all pushed back strongly, accusing Infantino of misleading them over the plan. He has since apologised, but the episode has raised broader questions about his leadership and transparency.
This matters because Fifa's presidential election is due in March, and the confederations' unusual joint call for an independent review signals real discontent among the officials who control votes. Trump's public backing of Infantino adds a high-profile political dimension to what would otherwise be an internal sporting dispute, highlighting how intertwined the two men's interests have become.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those who believe Gianni Infantino should remain in post point to the scale of his achievement in delivering what they regard as the most successful and commercially lucrative World Cup in the tournament's history, arguing that continuity of leadership matters at a moment when Fifa is navigating complex commercial negotiations. They note that Infantino has already apologised for the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal, taking responsibility rather than doubling down, which they see as evidence of accountability rather than grounds for removal. Supporters also caution that a leadership change or a fracturing of the confederations so close to a presidential election risks destabilising a sport that has thrived under stable, ambitious commercial stewardship.
The case against
Those pressing for an independent review, and potentially Infantino's departure, argue that a plan to sell roughly a fifth of the men's World Cup's commercial and operational rights to private investors was a serious governance failure that should not simply be forgiven with an apology. They contend that Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, who collectively represent the vast majority of the football world, have a legitimate duty to scrutinise decisions of this magnitude and that accusations of deception, if substantiated, go to the heart of trust in Fifa's leadership. For these confederations, allowing a dignified resignation ahead of the March election is framed not as punitive but as a proportionate way to restore transparency and confidence in the game's governance.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Donald Trump says it would be a ‘terrible mistake’ to replace Fifa’s Gianni Infantino”.