Trump backs Infantino as FIFA leadership crisis deepens

US President Donald Trump has warned that FIFA would make “a terrible mistake” by replacing Gianni Infantino, despite growing opposition to the president of football’s world governing body from three major confederations and US Soccer.

Trump publicly defended Infantino on Monday after UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC accused him of breaking trust “through deception”. The criticism followed Infantino’s failed attempt to attract private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The US president described Infantino as “fantastic” and said he had “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!” Trump added.

Trump attended last month’s World Cup final alongside Infantino. His intervention puts him at odds with US Soccer, which has joined the growing number of organisations questioning the FIFA president’s leadership.

Infantino launched a plan to bring private investors into FIFA competitions before withdrawing it following widespread criticism. UEFA had threatened to boycott future World Cups if the proposal went ahead, describing it as “a shabby, opaque, backroom deal”.

The European governing body renewed its criticism on Monday, accusing Infantino of a “failure of judgment”. FIFA responded on Saturday to what it called attempts “to undermine” the governing body and its president.

In a joint letter, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC rejected the suggestion that Infantino’s position should be protected by personal authority.

“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding or demanding power to be held.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”

The confederations also dismissed the significance of an emergency meeting in Morocco last week, after senior FIFA directors gave Infantino “full support”. They said only “a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee” had attended.

That gathering, they said, “represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment”.

“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.”

Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss who has led FIFA for 10 years, had appeared certain to stand unopposed for a fourth and final term. He will be eligible for re-election at the FIFA Congress in March 2027, with candidates required to declare their intentions by 18 November.

His position had been strengthened by the success of the expanded World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, which featured 48 teams. However, the private investment proposal has divided football’s governing bodies.

CAF has backed Infantino, while CONMEBOL is considered largely supportive. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a possible challenger.

Individual member associations, rather than the confederations themselves, will vote in the FIFA election. Infantino has received backing from Mexico, a CONCACAF member, as well as AFC members Kuwait and Qatar, the host nation of the 2022 World Cup where he has a house.

The joint letter acknowledged the progress made during Infantino’s time in office but argued that it could not be credited to one person.

“The growth over the past decade has been real. But that progress was never the work of one individual,” it said.

“It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.

“The expanded tournaments… were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.”

The confederations said Infantino’s leadership had created “silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness”.

“That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.

“Football’s strength has always been its unity.”