Tuesday, August 11, 2026 - US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA would be making a "terrible mistake" if it got rid of Gianni Infantino as head of world football’s governing body.
Infantino has come under pressure following his failed plan
to sell off stakes in the men's World Cup to private investors.
In a message posted to Truth Social on Monday night, Trump
said FIFA would "never be as successful or profitable" without
Infantino.
"FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any
reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino," Trump
posted.
"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! Thank you for your attention to
this matter. President DJT."
Confederations from Europe, North America, and Asia said
Monday in an "open letter to the football family" that Infantino's
failed commercial proposal for the World Cup was a "fundamental breach of
trust" with the institutions the sport's global governing body serves.
UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC also declared that "when
trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the
collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been
abandoned."
"Football is the world's greatest shared passion. It
belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the
fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution entrusted with
safeguarding its future. It is in that spirit, as confederations representing
its members, that we speak collectively today," the letter said.
Also on Monday, U.S. Soccer, which is a Concacaf member,
issued an additional statement supporting Concacaf.
"U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA's governance, transparency and accountability," the statement read.
Infantino apologized for his proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational components of FIFA's tournaments, with an idea to sell off around 20% to private investors.
The letter sent by the three soccer federations on Monday
has urged FIFA to conduct an independent review of Infantino's plan, without
naming the Swiss executive directly.
"A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without
meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before member
associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight
-- it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny," the letter
continued.
"It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was
inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an
interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment -- not just a
procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very
institutions FIFA exists to serve."
UEFA said last week that its participating members could
still boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, despite Infantino's
apology for his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Infantino has served as FIFA president since his initial
election on Feb. 26, 2016. His current term runs through 2027, and he has
announced his bid for reelection to extend his tenure to 2031.
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