Aug. 11 (UPI) — President Donald Trump took aim at critics of Gianni Infantino, saying it would be a “terrible mistake” to replace the embattled FIFA president.
Trump addressed Infantino, who faces criticism for a proposed plan to sell commercial interests in the World Cup to private investors, on Monday on Truth Social. FIFA announced last month that the plan would not go forward after it received substantial opposition from worldwide soccer confederations.
Some of those critics have called on Infantino to resign. The FIFA president, who assumed the role in 2016, is expected to run for reelection in March.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on the social media platform.
“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 and Infantino each previously drew ire from sports fans, players and coaches during the World Cup for their role in overturning Folarin Balogun‘s suspension. Trump said he called Infantino after the American striker received a red card during a Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FIFA announced that Balogun’s ban was suspended and he was cleared to play just a day before the Americans’ Round of 16 loss to Belgium.
On Monday, soccer confederations from North America, Europe and Asia released an open letter with additional criticism of the proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup. The confederations called for a change in leadership in the letter.
“Leadership in football is not a possession,” the letter said. “It is not about holding — or demanding — power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.
“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 United States Soccer Federation also released a statement Monday supporting Concacaf, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
“U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU [Caribbean Football Union] and UNCAF [Central American Football Union] stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability,” the statement said.
Infantino announced last month that FIFA expected to top the $15 billion mark in revenue for the 2023-26 World Cup cycle.
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