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US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his support for his friend Gianni Infantino, as the embattled FIFA chief continues to fight mounting criticism and calls for him to step down.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said football world governing body FIFA “would be making a terrible mistake” if it decided to part ways with Infantino.
“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented,” Trump wrote, adding: “If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again.”
Infantino has come under huge pressure in recent weeks over a proposed private investment plan that would have seen third-party investors able to purchase stakes in a new commercial subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The FFE would have run FIFA’s commercial operations and events, including the World Cup, leading to accusations that FIFA was attempting to “sell” the sport and prompting widespread criticism.
FIFA has since scrapped the plan and acknowledged that “mistakes” were made in the way it handled the situation, but the fallout has continued to snowball, with a growing divide amongst confederations and football associations.
On Monday, European governing body UEFA – which has threatened to boycott future FIFA events over the issue – released a joint letter with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), calling for a change in leadership at FIFA and saying “trust” had been “broken through deception.”
“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it,” the letter reads.
The beleaguered FIFA boss retains vital backing from other parts of the globe, however.
The Confederation of African Football has “unanimously reconfirmed its support” for Infantino, while World Cup runners-up Argentina and tournament cohosts Mexico have also gotten behind the president.
Trump’s support for Infantino will come as little surprise to those who followed the World Cup, which took place across the US, Canada, and Mexico, and the build-up to the tournament.
The pair’s increasingly close relationship was already under scrutiny after Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize.”
But the most controversial moment came after FIFA decided to suspend a one-match ban for US striker Folarin Balogun ahead of a crucial knockout match against Belgium after Trump put in a call to Infantino.
In a statement at the time, Infantino confirmed the call had taken place and said he had explained to the president that “there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.”
“That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold,” he added at the time.