FIFA chief Infantino makes late appeal to Trump allies amid leadership revolt

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is seeking support from Donald Trump’s administration to remain in office as opposition to his leadership intensifies, according to US media reports.

Infantino is expected to hold a private telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday morning, after 09:00 Eastern Time, The Washington Post reported.

The newspaper said Infantino intended to discuss football’s role as an instrument of American soft power with Rubio, but that the real purpose of the conversation was to protect his position.

Neither FIFA nor the US State Department has commented on the report after being approached by The Washington Post.

Sources said Infantino, 56, had repeatedly tried to contact President Trump since last Friday, but had been unable to speak to him. The attempts came after the collapse of his controversial proposal to sell part of football’s commercial assets to private investors.

The Washington Post had previously revealed details of a plan to separate FIFA’s broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing rights into a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise.

Under the proposed arrangement, Thrive Capital, owned by Josh Kushner – the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law – was expected to acquire a 20% stake in the venture for more than $4bn.

The proposal was first reported by the British newspaper The Times and triggered widespread anger across world football. Several officials said they had learned about the plan only through media reports.

The controversy has also sparked an open rebellion within FIFA against Infantino’s leadership. One federation official told The Washington Post that an effort to remove the president had been given the name “Project Eliminate the Monster”.

Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, told The Associated Press on Friday that he felt “deceived” by Infantino’s actions. He also said he had not been aware of the secret negotiations.

The dispute escalated further after UEFA unanimously voted on 30 July to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the 2030 World Cup, which is scheduled to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

That decision creates the possibility of an unprecedented scenario in which two of the tournament’s host countries could refuse to take part. It could also lead to the absence of high-profile players, including France and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona’s Spain international Lamine Yamal.

Infantino’s reported approach to Rubio comes as his authority faces pressure from both inside and outside FIFA. The proposed commercial restructuring had been presented as a major change to the way the organisation manages key revenue streams, but the lack of transparency surrounding the negotiations intensified concerns among officials.

The proposed stake sale to Thrive Capital was central to those concerns. The plan would have transferred a significant share of FIFA’s commercial operations to a separate company, with the investment valued at more than $4bn. Its collapse has left Infantino attempting to preserve his position while facing criticism over the way the discussions were conducted.

No decision has been announced on the future of FIFA’s leadership, but the reported internal campaign against Infantino and UEFA’s boycott vote represent a significant challenge to his presidency.