By Oluwakemi Kindness
US President Donald Trump has warned that it would be a “terrible mistake” for FIFA to remove president Gianni Infantino from office.
Trump’s comments came after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” over his abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.
The FFE plan involved creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
Under the proposal, 21 per cent of the company would have been sold to a private investment firm.
Trump’s latest comments mark his first public defence of Infantino since the FFE plans emerged on 28 July.
“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on social media.
“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.”
The 2026 World Cup was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Spain winning the tournament after defeating Argentina in the final.
Trump had earlier said, on 31 July, that he had not discussed the FFE proposal with Infantino.
Thrive Eternal was expected to lead the proposed investor group for the venture.
Thrive is a US-based venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump and awarded him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025.
