US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the football chief faces mounting criticism over a controversial proposal involving the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump warned that FIFA would make a “terrible mistake” by replacing Infantino.
Trump praised Infantino’s leadership and credited him with overseeing what he described as the most successful World Cup ever.
He further argued that the tournament would not achieve the same level of success or profitability without Infantino at the helm.
Trump’s intervention comes as several of football’s most influential regional governing bodies challenge Infantino’s leadership over plans to restructure FIFA’s commercial operations.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a joint open letter criticising a proposal to sell part of the commercial business of the World Cup.
The confederations described the proposal as a serious breach of trust and accused FIFA of attempting to push it through without giving member associations sufficient time to examine its implications.
They called for an independent review of the proposal and stressed that football should serve its players, supporters, clubs and member associations rather than any individual.
US Soccer has also backed Concacaf’s position, calling for reforms aimed at strengthening governance, transparency and accountability within FIFA.
Infantino apologises over commercial venture
The controversy centres on plans for the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed company that would oversee FIFA’s commercial operations.
Under the plan, about 20% of the company would be offered to private investors.
Infantino has since apologised for putting forward the proposal, but the apology has not ended the opposition.
UEFA has warned that its member associations could consider boycotting FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if concerns surrounding Infantino’s leadership remain unresolved.
Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016.
His current term expires in 2027, and he is seeking another four-year term that would extend his presidency until 2031.
The growing dispute places Infantino in an unusual position, with support from the US president coming at a time when major football confederations are demanding greater scrutiny of FIFA’s leadership and commercial decision-making.
