US President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino, warning that football’s global governing body would be making a “terrible mistake” if it considered replacing him.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump described Infantino as “fantastic” and credited him with overseeing what he called the most successful World Cup ever staged.
“If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again!” Trump said.
Infantino has faced growing pressure over a failed proposal to sell a stake in FIFA’s World Cup-related commercial interests to private equity investors.
In a joint open letter on Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) sharply criticised the proposal, describing it as a “fundamental breach of trust” between FIFA’s leadership and the institutions it represents.
The three confederations argued that leadership depended on maintaining the confidence of FIFA’s stakeholders and warned that deception or placing individual authority above collective responsibility undermined that obligation.
FIFA apologised last week for mistakes surrounding the proposal and confirmed that the plan had been abandoned.
The organisation said senior officials had reaffirmed their support for Infantino during a crisis meeting in Morocco and pledged to defend FIFA’s integrity, governance procedures and reputation against what it considers unjustified attacks.
Trump’s intervention adds a political dimension to the escalating dispute over Infantino’s leadership as pressure from major football confederations continues to grow.