DONALD TRUMP insists that Fifa axing Gianni Infantino would be a “terrible mistake”.
, 56, has come under increasing pressure following the off a chunk of the World Cup to private investors.
Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump attended the World Cup final together Credit: Getty
Infantino and Trump met several times ahead of the 2026 World Cup Credit: AP
Yesterday, Uefa and their Asian and North American counterparts, the AFC and Concacaf, teamed up to against Infantino.
The statement accused the Swiss football administrator of “breaking trust through deception” and called on him to resign.
US president Trump, however, feels that an Infantino Fifa exit would be the wrong move.
The American posted on Truth Social : “FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino.
“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented.
“If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”.
Infantino and Trump grew their relationship during the build up to the World Cup in North America earlier this summer.
Last December, Infantino controversially awarded Trump with the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize.
Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin is among Infantino’s detractors Credit: Alamy
He also met Trump at the Oval Office for meetings, with the pair going on to sit together for the World Cup final last month.
Trump’s son-in-law’s brother was believed to be the front-runner to buy a stake in the World Cup for $4.2bn (£3.1bn).
But the deal collapsed as the scheme was KO’d amid increasing pressure from Uefa, whose nations promised to boycott the World Cup if it went ahead.
Yesterday’s furious statement was co-signed by Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Concacaf boss Victor Montagliani plus their organisations’ general secretaries.
It read: “This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it.
“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held.
“It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.
“Fifa’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process.
“It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment.
“A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny.
“It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong.
“There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the Fifa World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions Fifa exists to serve.”
The letter also called for an independent commission to to review Fifa’s recent conduct, rather than an internal committee.
And it pointed out that only one election official was part of the – with no Fifa Council members or member associations invited to contribute.
SunSport understands Concacaf, and the AFC are pressurising Infantino to resign with immediate effect and not run for re-election for a fourth term in March.
Fifa released a strong statement of their own last week blasting a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine their boss.
It read: “The Fifa President was democratically elected by Fifa’s Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate.
“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president.
“Those who do not have the support of Fifa’s Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through Fifa’s established democratic processes.
“Fifa welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress.”
On Friday night it was reported that while he was general secretary, prior to his election as Fifa president in 2016.
And SunSport yesterday revealed that even Infantino’s hometown club Zug 94 in Switzerland his crumbling leadership.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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