Full Breakdown
Trump Defends FIFA President Amid Growing Controversy
8/12/2026, 4:35:33 AM
Trump’s Public Backing of Gianni Infantino
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that removing FIFA president Gianni Infantino would be “a terrible mistake.” The comment, first made on July 28, followed an open letter from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) accusing Infantino of “breaking trust through deception” over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE)) plan. Trump reiterated on July 31 that he had not spoken to Infantino about the proposal.
Background: The FFE Proposal and Confederation Accusations
The FFE plan would have created a new company to manage commercial and ticket-selling rights for all FIFA competitions, including World Cups, and would have sold a 21 % stake to a private investment group. Venture-capital firm Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner—the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—was expected to lead the investor group. UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF alleged that Infantino “placed himself above the collective” and called for an independent review of his conduct.
Official Statements & Responses
- Donald Trump: “Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino.” “Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” — Donald Trump, US president
- FIFA issued a statement condemning a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine the organization and Infantino.
- UEFA announced it would continue to boycott FIFA competitions if Infantino remains in office.
- Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson denied any planned call between Infantino and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, labeling reports as unfounded.
Data & Statistics
- The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, generated viewership that more than doubled that of the 2022 Qatar tournament.
- The abandoned FFE deal envisioned selling $4.2 billion in World Cup stakes to private equity investors.
What’s Next
The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2025. Confederations and national federations remain divided over Infantino’s candidacy, and the outcome will determine whether the proposed commercial reforms are revisited.
