Giuliani says Infantino has taken FIFA ‘to a new level’ ahead of re-election bid

Former United States presidential aide Andrew Giuliani has strongly backed Gianni Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, warning that anyone considering voting against him would be making “one of the most foolish decisions of their career”.

Giuliani, the former chief executive of the White House task force for the FIFA World Cup 2026, worked closely with Infantino before and during this summer’s tournament. He spoke out as controversy continued over FIFA’s decision to cancel the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.

In comments reported by The Independent, Giuliani said criticism of Infantino was being driven by jealousy and political calculation.

“It is politics. I have seen this before when they targeted President Trump from a political perspective. People get jealous when others achieve great things. What Gianni Infantino has done for FIFA is take it to a completely new level that they did not believe was possible,” he said.

Giuliani also underlined what he sees as the significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026, describing it as the first tournament secured during Infantino’s presidency that reflects the FIFA president’s own vision.

“You have to remember that this is the first World Cup that Gianni Infantino has successfully won hosting rights for during his presidency. He inherited the tournaments in Russia and Qatar and did a good job managing them, but this is the first one. It is his own vision,” Giuliani said.

He issued a direct warning to national and continental football leaders who might consider opposing Infantino.

“What I would say is that any federation president thinking about not voting for Gianni Infantino would be making one of the most foolish decisions of his career,” he said.

Giuliani praised the organisation and financial performance of the most recent tournament, claiming it had been delivered without incident while generating significantly higher income than the previous World Cup.

“This man has just organised the biggest global sporting event ever without any incidents and generated more than four times the revenue of the last World Cup,” he said.

“You are thinking about removing him. If Gianni is not re-elected unanimously, everyone who voted against him needs a mental examination.”

Giuliani joked that FIFA might require a “FIFA rescue act”, echoing the “America Rescue Act” previously proposed by Trump.

Like Trump, Giuliani said he had not known about the FFE proposal before it was reported by the media. He urged Infantino’s critics to wait and assess the president’s entire record rather than judging him solely on the disputed initiative.

Giuliani added that he had spoken to Infantino since the controversy began and believed the FIFA president had a strong plan for the coming months and through to March next year, when he hopes to secure another term in office.

Discussing the controversial proposal, Giuliani said: “We are all human, and I think Gianni made his statement on this matter recently, but I see this as one of those things people have noticed, where sport has become a subject of profit and commercial marketing.”

He concluded by arguing that Infantino’s wider record should remain the focus.

“You have to look at Gianni’s achievements as a whole and recognise that he is always seeking to improve his organisation. Just because you are always trying to improve does not mean you will not make a mistake here or there. As a human being, that can happen. But I look at his achievements as a whole and say: this is the person I want in charge,” Giuliani said.