US President Donald Trump has warned that it would be a “terrible mistake” for Fifa to remove Gianni Infantino as president amid growing criticism of the football governing body’s leadership.
Trump’s comments came after Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation publicly accused Infantino of breaking trust over an abandoned commercial proposal known as Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).
The proposed initiative would have created a new company to oversee the commercial and ticketing rights for Fifa competitions, including the World Cup. Under the plan, 21 per cent of the company would have been sold to a private investment firm.
In an apparent show of support for Infantino, Trump said on social media that Fifa would be making a serious error if it considered replacing the Swiss-Italian football administrator.
“Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump said.
He described Infantino as “fantastic” and credited him with overseeing what he called the most successful World Cup ever staged.
Trump also warned that the tournament would not be as commercially successful if Infantino were removed.
“If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again,” he added.
Infantino has led Fifa since 2016 and was re-elected for another term in 2023.
The 2026 World Cup was staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams. Spain were crowned champions after defeating Argentina in the final.
