Trump backs Gianni Infantino amid backlash over aborted World Cup commercial plan
US President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a Truth Social post on Monday, intervening as pressure mounts over the abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the commercial business around the World Cup. In the post Trump wrote, "FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino," and described Infantino as "fantastic," saying he had overseen the most successful World Cup ever.
The intervention follows the withdrawal of a plan to create a new commercial vehicle, labelled FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have involved selling a minority stake to private investors. Reports suggested the proposal could have covered around 21% of future World Cup commercial interests and valued the new company at around $20 billion; the plan was pulled after widespread opposition from parts of world football. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf have jointly demanded an independent review of how the proposal was developed and presented.
In a joint letter the three confederations said the proposal was pushed forward too quickly and rejected the suggestion the issue was simply a communications problem, calling instead for an independent investigation. UEFA has kept open the possibility of stronger action, including a boycott of FIFA competitions, while Infantino has apologised for mistakes made during the process. The dispute has therefore moved beyond the commercial proposal itself into questions about governance and decision-making at FIFA.
Trump's public support for Infantino has renewed scrutiny of the relationship between the US president and the FIFA chief, which drew attention during the 2026 World Cup staged across the US, Canada and Mexico. Media reporting linked some of the investors said to be involved with the proposed structure to Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, who is identified in reports as the younger brother of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Those connections prompted examination of whether the investment plan involved figures close to the US president.
During the World Cup Infantino awarded Trump FIFA's inaugural Peace Prize, a fact that contributed to scrutiny of their association. There has also been reporting that Infantino sought Trump’s backing after the investment plan collapsed; FIFA rejected that account and called it false, leaving the claim disputed. The interplay of those reports has featured alongside calls from confederations for accountability.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking another term in the 2027 presidential election, a contest that now intersects with the wider debate over FIFA's leadership, independence and who gets to shape the future of world football.
