Trump backs Infantino, warns FIFA against removing president

US President Donald Trump has warned FIFA against removing Gianni Infantino as president, describing any move to replace him as a “terrible mistake.”

Trump made the remarks in a social media post amid growing tensions between Infantino and three major football confederations over a controversial FIFA commercial proposal.

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

“He is fantastic, having just 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’s intervention comes after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation raised concerns over FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise, which was designed to create a separate company to oversee commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

The proposal, which was abandoned after details became public, reportedly involved selling a 21 per cent stake in the company to a private investment group. The proposed investors were said to include Thrive Capital, a US venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC subsequently issued a joint statement accusing FIFA of undermining trust and failing to adequately protect the interests of its member associations.

“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 said.

Although Infantino was not directly named, the statement was widely viewed as an attempt to increase pressure on the FIFA president.

UEFA has also threatened to boycott FIFA competitions and consider legal action over the proposed commercial structure. There have reportedly been preliminary discussions about possible breakaway competitions if Infantino remains in office, although no substantive negotiations have taken place.

Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump. In December 2025, the FIFA president presented the US president with the organisation’s inaugural Peace Prize.