Removing Infantino as FIFA president would be a 'terrible mistake’: Trump

Washington: US President Donald Trump has backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid growing criticism of the football governing body’s leadership, warning that replacing the Swiss official would be a serious mistake.

Trump’s comments came after UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly accused Infantino of undermining trust "through deception".

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said FIFA should not consider removing Infantino, whom he described as an outstanding leader. He also credited the FIFA president with overseeing what he called the most successful World Cup in the tournament’s history and argued that the competition would not achieve the same level of success or profitability without him, AFP reported.

Trump’s intervention comes despite US Soccer aligning itself with critics of Infantino. The US president had attended the World Cup final with the FIFA chief last month. Infantino had also presented Trump with a FIFA Peace Prize during the World Cup draw ceremony last year.

The FIFA president has faced renewed scrutiny over a proposal to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The plan was subsequently withdrawn following strong criticism.

FIFA responded on Saturday by rejecting what it described as attempts to undermine the organisation and its president. However, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC escalated their criticism in a joint letter, arguing that football leadership should be based on collective responsibility rather than the concentration or retention of power.

The three confederations said that when trust is damaged through deceptive conduct and a leader places himself above the organisations and stakeholders that granted him authority, the responsibilities of leadership are effectively abandoned.

The dispute comes ahead of FIFA’s presidential election scheduled for March 2027, when Infantino is seeking a fourth and final term. Candidates must declare their intention to contest the election by November 18.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is being viewed as a possible challenger. Infantino had appeared likely to secure another term without serious opposition after the successful staging of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, but his position has come under greater pressure following the controversy surrounding his investment plans.

Infantino, 56, has led FIFA for a decade. He has secured support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), while South American governing body CONMEBOL remains broadly supportive.

The FIFA presidency, however, is decided by individual member associations rather than the continental confederations themselves. Infantino has also secured support from Mexico, a CONCACAF member, as well as Kuwait and Qatar from the AFC. Qatar hosted the 2022 World Cup and Infantino maintains a residence there.