U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media Monday evening that it would be 'a terrible mistake' to remove FIFA President Gianni Infantino, hours after UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF issued a joint open letter criticizing Infantino's conduct in connection with an abandoned proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors for approximately $4.2 billion US.
Trump backs Infantino as UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF call for independent review of FIFA president
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media Monday evening that it would be 'a terrible mistake' to remove FIFA President Gianni Infantino, hours after UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF issued a joint open letter criticizing Infantino's conduct in connection with an abandoned proposal to sell a 20 percent stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors for approximately $4.2 billion US.
The three confederations' letter stopped short of explicitly calling for new leadership but accused Infantino of breaking trust 'through deception' over the now-abandoned proposal, of having 'placed himself above the collective,' and called for a fully independent review of what had happened, in which FIFA would have no role.
Trump, in his social media post, praised Infantino's performance during the recently concluded World Cup, calling him 'fantastic' and warning that without him the tournament 'will never be as successful or profitable again.'
The commercial rights proposal had been connected to Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. The plan was abandoned after fierce backlash.
UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF have threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments until they receive a commitment that no similar schemes will be proposed in the future. In their letter, the three bodies also criticized a FIFA emergency meeting held in Morocco the previous week, stating that only one elected official was present.
Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness, described by some as a potential candidate to replace Infantino, called on him to step down immediately on Friday. Klaveness has previously been an outspoken critic of Infantino.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was also cited as having stated he does not have confidence in Infantino's leadership 'given what transpired and given the nature of what transpired.'
Support for Infantino remains present in parts of the football world. Africa's confederation CAF released a statement on behalf of its 54 members backing him, and several nations including Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia also expressed support.
FIFA issued a statement on Friday warning against what it described as a 'concerted and ongoing effort' to undermine Infantino and saying any challenges to his leadership must follow the governing body's statutes and democratic procedures. FIFA also rejected as unfounded reports by The Daily Telegraph concerning payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino's time as the European body's general secretary — allegations Infantino has also denied.
According to the source, approximately 70 of FIFA's 211 member associations have publicly stated they will vote for Infantino, while around a dozen have either withdrawn previously promised support or said they will not vote for him. Unity within the opposing confederations is not complete, with several Asian nations and Mexico from CONCACAF reported to be backing him.
- The source does not detail the specific terms or structure of the proposed World Cup commercial rights sale beyond the 20 percent stake and $4.2 billion figure.
- The source does not specify which Asian nations within the AFC are backing Infantino despite the confederation's joint letter opposing him.
- The source does not provide Thrive Capital's or Joshua Kushner's direct response to being named in connection with the proposal.
- The source does not clarify whether a formal vote of no-confidence or leadership election process has been initiated within FIFA's statutes.
- The full content of the Daily Telegraph reporting on UEFA payments is not described beyond a brief characterization.