Trump backs Infantino: “He’s fantastic”
Keystone-SDA
Gianni Infantino, the Swiss president of world football’s governing body, is under immense pressure. In his hour of need, a close friend has now come to his aid – and is warning the world football governing body against making a terrible mistake.
The beleaguered Infantino has received backing from the White House despite his controversial investment plan. US President Donald Trump wrote in a brief statement on his Truth Social platform that Zurich-based FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, it were even to consider replacing Infantino.
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Trump spoke in the highest terms of the man who had awarded him the FIFA Peace Prize in 2025. “He is fantastic and has just overseen the most successful World Cup of all time,” he said. If Infantino were no longer there, there would “never again be such a successful or profitable World Cup”.
There had recently been reports that Infantino had sought support from the White House following the failure of his investment plan. However, FIFA dismissed reports of calls to Trump or other members of the administration as “pure fiction”. Trump himself also said he had not spoken to Infantino about the matter.
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The FIFA boss is facing criticism over his tenure to date and his controversial plans for the future – there have been calls for him to resign. Infantino wanted to sell the rights to the world governing body’s tournaments to private investors, thereby raising billions. Technology investor Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, was set to play a key role through his investment firm.
In the face of widespread outrage, Infantino was forced to shelve his plans. The power struggle that has openly erupted in football has engulfed all the continental federations. On Monday, the governing bodies for Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) jointly addressed the public in an open letter. They reiterated their criticism of Infantino, accused him of deception and continued to call for a fresh start at the helm of world football’s governing body.
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Great friends flatter one another
Infantino has described Trump as a “great friend” on several occasions in the past. Under his leadership, FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup finals to the USA, Canada and Mexico. Infantino and Trump appeared together on several occasions, including at the award ceremony following the 2026 World Cup final. In early 2025, the Swiss official was also present when former businessman Trump was sworn in for his second term as US President.
In late 2025, Infantino also awarded Trump a newly created FIFA Peace Prize, which irritated critics immediately dismissed as a tailor-made favour for the US President. According to an unconfirmed report in the *New York Post*, Trump wanted to return the favour by allegedly putting Infantino forward as a candidate for the post of future UN Secretary-General.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
