Infantino turns to Trump as pressure mounts over his role

FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly sought support from the administration of United States President Donald Trump after facing growing criticism over the collapse of a controversial plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup.

According to a report by the New York Post on Monday, Infantino made several unsuccessful attempts to contact Trump by telephone after the proposal was abandoned on Friday.

Sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the FIFA chief felt increasingly isolated as criticism of the failed initiative mounted.

FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The governing body’s proposal would have transferred around 20 per cent of the commercial rights to FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, into a newly created company backed by private investors.

The plan was expected to raise as much as $4.2 billion but was shelved following strong opposition from key stakeholders.

The collapse of the proposal has intensified scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership, with questions now being raised about the implications for his expected bid for another term as FIFA president covering the 2027–2031 cycle.

Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump in recent years, with the pair appearing together at several football events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Their ties were further highlighted in December 2025 when Infantino presented Trump with FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize, making him the first recipient of the honour.

The relationship has attracted additional attention because the abandoned commercial rights proposal was reportedly expected to be anchored by Thrive Capital, an investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the son-in-law of the US president.

The New York Post also reported that Infantino had arranged private discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was expected to hold a phone conversation with America’s top diplomat on Monday morning.

However, US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson dismissed the report, stating in a post on X that there were “no plans” for Rubio to speak with the 56-year-old Swiss-Italian football administrator and that “there is no call this morning.”

The failed commercial rights plan remains one of the biggest setbacks of Infantino’s presidency and has fuelled debate over FIFA’s governance and future commercial strategy.

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