FIFA has categorically denied reports that its president, Gianni Infantino, has made a series of phone calls to Donald Trump "begging" him to help save his job. The denial comes amid intense pressure on Infantino after his plans to sell off part of the World Cup collapsed.
Controversial Plans Scrapped
Infantino's proposal to sell off parts of the World Cup to private investors was scrapped after a global backlash. Federations united in opposition, with some announcing a boycott of the 2030 tournament. The plans were ultimately abandoned.
Infantino now faces widespread calls to resign. UEFA has stated it has "lost confidence" in the FIFA president, and Wales became the first football association to publicly withdraw support for his re-election.
Reports of Calls to Trump
The New York Post claimed Infantino wanted to arrange talks about "job protection" with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The report quoted a source saying, "He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America. But we all know that it is about job protection."
The Times also reported that Infantino had "kept calling" Trump for help. However, FIFA issued a public response, stating: "The FIFA President has not made any call to the U.S President, or any members of his administration, in recent days. It is pure fiction."
White House Denial
The White House also denied that any talks were scheduled with Infantino this week. Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, wrote on X: "There are no plans for Secretary Rubio to speak with Infantino and there is no call this morning. @NYPost should check their sources or they could have just asked us."
Infantino's Statement
On Friday, Infantino confirmed the scrapping of the World Cup sale plans. His statement read: "Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place. Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed."
He added: "Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support."
