President Trump Backs FIFA President Gianni Infantino Amid Growing International Revolt
13 sources across 11 countries
Who reported this
- Infobae
- La Nacion
- UOL
- CNN Brasil
- The Daily Star
- Le Monde
- Telex
- ANSA
- Aftenposten
- The Korea Herald
- El Pais
- The Guardian
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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United States President Donald Trump has publicly supported FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stating on Truth Social that it would be a terrible mistake for the organization to replace him. Trump described Infantino as fantastic and claimed he presided over the most successful World Cup ever presented, warning that the event would never be as successful or profitable if Infantino were to leave. This endorsement comes as Infantino faces intense pressure from several major football governing bodies following a failed proposal to open the institution to private investors through a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.
A coordinated opposition has emerged, led by a joint letter from the European (UEFA), Asian (AFC), and North, Central American and Caribbean (Concacaf) confederations. These organizations accused Infantino of deception and a breach of trust, asserting that leadership in football is not a possession. While the United States and Canada soccer federations backed this call for change, the Mexican Football Federation broke from Concacaf to support Infantino. Other major allies of the FIFA president include the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the South American governing body CONMEBOL.
Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016, is currently the only declared candidate for the presidential elections in March. He has denied any wrongdoing, and FIFA has characterized the backlash as a concerted effort to undermine the organization. The tension has reached a point where some officials, such as Norway's football president Lise Klaveness, have stated that Infantino's position is untenable and that UEFA may seek a counter candidate.
Reports also highlight a close personal relationship between Trump and Infantino. In December of last year, Infantino presented Trump with a FIFA Peace Prize, a distinction created specifically for that occasion.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These reports emphasized the failure of the private investment scheme and the resulting crisis of governance and trust.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the factual clash between Trump's support and the institutional criticism from soccer federations.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the specific geopolitical divisions between the various continental confederations and the strategic nature of the power struggle.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Trump defends Infantino: 'A terrible mistake to replace him at Fifa'
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Trump warns against replacing Infantino
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Relieved over vice presidents' Infantino criticism
- Centre Bloomberg: Trump Defends Infantino as UEFA-Led Schism With FIFA Deepens
- Centre CNN Brasil: Trump says it would be a “terrible mistake” if Infantino left Fifa
- Centre-left El Pais: The football world tightens pressure on Infantino
- Centre-right Infobae: Trump defended Infantino and warned that FIFA would make a "terrible mistake" if it decides to replace him from the presidency
- Centre-right La Nacion: Trump backed Infantino facing the possibility that he lose his position: "FIFA would make a grave mistake"
- Centre-left Le Monde: Mattias Grafström, the FIFA number two who could not emancipate himself from Gianni Infantino
- Centre Telex: Trump says FIFA would make a terrible mistake if it replaced the fantastic Infantino
- Centre The Daily Star: Trump says would be 'terrible mistake' to replace FIFA's Infantino
- Centre-left The Guardian: Donald Trump says it would be a ‘terrible mistake’ to replace Fifa’s Gianni Infantino
- Centre-right The Korea Herald: World Cup co-hosts US and Canada oppose Infantino
- Centre-left UOL: Trump says Fifa would make a 'terrible mistake' if it replaced Infantino
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.