Gianni Infantino has found himself increasingly isolated in world football. Fortunately for the FIFA president, he still has one very powerful friend. Donald Trump has come to Infantino’s defence, warning that FIFA would make a “terrible mistake” if it even considered removing him from office. The timing could hardly be more dramatic.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation have accused FIFA of breaking trust over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, while UEFA has even threatened to boycott FIFA competitions if Infantino remains in charge. And then came Trump.”He is fantastic,” the US president declared, insisting Infantino had just presided over the most successful World Cup ever – by “four times” – and warning that it would never again be as successful or profitable without him. Quite the endorsement.
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Trump’s intervention is particularly intriguing given his relationship with Infantino. The FIFA president awarded him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025, while the proposed FFE investment group was expected to be led by Thrive, the venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner – brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared. Infantino has therefore found himself with an unusually enthusiastic supporter at precisely the moment when much of football’s establishment is turning against him.
UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC have accused FIFA’s leadership of putting an individual above the collective and said that “duty has been abandoned”.Trump, meanwhile, appears to have reached a rather different conclusion.Infantino, it seems, still has the most important vote of confidence of all, at least in Washington.