U.S. President Donald Trump has warned FIFA against replacing its president, Gianni Infantino, as the football governing body faces mounting pressure over a failed proposal to sell an interest in the World Cup to private equity investors.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
Trump described Infantino as “fantastic” and claimed he had overseen the most successful World Cup ever held.
“If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again,” Trump added.
Trump’s intervention comes amid an escalating dispute between FIFA and some of football’s most powerful regional governing bodies.
UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation issued a joint open letter on Monday criticising FIFA’s handling of the proposal to sell an interest in the World Cup to private equity investors.
They described the plan as a “fundamental breach of trust” with the organisations FIFA is supposed to serve.
The three confederations accused FIFA’s leadership of deception and warned that its authority had been undermined when an individual placed himself “above the collective that entrusted him with authority”.
FIFA apologised last week for mistakes made in connection with the proposal and confirmed that the plan was “off the table”.
The organisation said senior officials had reaffirmed their full support for Infantino during a crisis meeting in Morocco.
FIFA also said it would take measures to defend its “integrity, good governance and due process” against what it described as attacks on its reputation.
Infantino has developed a close relationship with Trump, particularly ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which was hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Trump’s public defence of Infantino adds a political dimension to the dispute, which has exposed deep tensions between FIFA’s leadership and some of the world’s most powerful regional football bodies.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United St...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment