Soccer
Donald Trump warns of ‘terrible mistake’ if FIFA replaces Gianni Infantino
US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA would be making a “terrible mistake” if it got rid of Gianni Infantino as the head of world football’s governing body.
Infantino has come under pressure following his doomed plan to sell off stakes in the men’s World Cup to private investors.
But in a post on his Truth Social social media site early on Tuesday, Trump said removing the FIFA president would be a costly move.
He wrote: “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!”
UEFA and two other confederations have held initial talks about organising competitions themselves amid the backlash against the embattled FIFA president, the Press Association understands.
Europe’s governing body, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which oversees football in the Caribbean, North and Central America, have accused Infantino of “deception” and while it is understood they want to give him the chance to resign and leave his position with dignity without seeking re-election in March next year, they want to insulate themselves from the unfolding crisis.
UEFA has previously threatened a boycott of FIFA competitions.
Infantino apologised for his proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company to run the commercial and operational aspects of FIFA’s tournaments, with an idea to sell off around 20 per cent to private investors.
But an open letter signed by the heads of UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF has urged FIFA to hold an independent review into Infantino’s scheme, while not naming the Swiss directly.
“Leadership in football is not a possession,” the letter said. “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.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says female footballers should not be “penalised” by a potential UEFA boycott of next month’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
England, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France are all due to join hosts Poland in a tournament being held from September 5-27.
Nandy told the BBC: “We support the (English) FA in saying that football belongs to its fans, enough is enough, and it is time for a change at FIFA. I think (Infantino) should go, the time is up.
“I am not generally in favour of sporting boycotts full stop, because I think they divide people from one another.
“I think they unfairly penalise athletes and competitors who are not responsible for the reason that these boycotts take place.
“What I would like to see actually is football coming together, resolving this, a change of leadership, a change of direction and a very clear message that football belongs to its fans and it will not have women and girls penalised when the women’s game is going from strength to strength.”
