Former U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stating that removing him from his position would be a "terrible mistake."
Trump's statement comes after UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation released an open letter accusing Infantino of deception regarding his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. The FFE initiative aimed to establish a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, with plans to sell a 21% stake to a private investment firm.
This marks the first time Trump has publicly defended Infantino since the FFE plans were revealed on July 28. "Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino," Trump wrote on social media. He described Infantino as "fantastic" and credited him with presiding over "the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented," adding that "If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again."
The 2026 World Cup, recently co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, saw Spain emerge as champions. When initially addressing the FFE proposals on July 31, Trump stated he had not yet spoken with Infantino about the plans. Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared, was expected to lead the investor group for FFE.