U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino following growing criticism over a failed plan to sell part of the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said FIFA would make a “terrible mistake” if it replaced Infantino.
He praised Infantino for leading what he described as the most successful World Cup ever and said the tournament would never be as successful or profitable without him.
However, football governing bodies from Europe, North America, and Asia have strongly criticised Infantino’s leadership. In a joint open letter, UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial business was a serious breach of trust.
The three confederations accused FIFA of rushing the proposal without giving member associations enough time to study it. They also called for an independent review of the plan and said football should serve its players, fans, clubs, and member associations—not any individual.
U.S. Soccer also backed Concacaf’s position, calling for reforms to improve FIFA’s governance, transparency, and accountability.
Infantino recently apologised for proposing the creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company that would manage FIFA’s commercial operations and sell about a 20% stake to private investors.
Despite the apology, UEFA has warned that its members could still boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if concerns over FIFA’s leadership are not addressed.
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016. His current term ends in 2027, and he is seeking re-election for another four-year term that would keep him in office until 2031.
