US President Donald Trump has said FIFA would be 'making a terrible mistake' if Gianni Infantino was removed as the governing body's president. In a Truth Social post on Monday, August 10, Trump wrote: 'FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino.'
He added: '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!'
Backlash over proposed stake sale
Infantino has faced significant criticism following reports that FIFA planned to raise up to $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion) by selling around a 20% stake in the group. The new arm would have been valued at $20 billion (£14.8 billion).
The deal reportedly involved Thrive Capital, a firm run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law.
Proposal scrapped
Over a week ago, Infantino announced that the FIFA Forward Enterprise project plan would not proceed. He said 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'. He added: 'As a result, this proposal will not proceed.'
Before calling it off, Infantino had reportedly given FIFA's 211 member nations until September 19 to support the deal, with pay-outs of up to $40 million each reportedly dangled in front of them. The situation was dubbed 'a bribe with a deadline', and Infantino faced backlash even from his inner circle.
Pressure on presidency
This has put pressure on Infantino's grip on the presidency ahead of the election in March. UEFA and two other confederations have held initial talks about organising competitions themselves amid the backlash.
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'. While it is understood they want to give him the chance to resign with dignity without seeking re-election in March next year, they also want to insulate themselves from the unfolding crisis.
