FIFA rubbished reports that Gianni Infantino had reached out to US President Donald Trump to save himself from the blushes and keep the top job at the apex football body. The FIFA President has been under fire of late, and UEFA has already confirmed that it has lost trust in Infantino. A lot was made about Infantino after the body reversed the red card given to US player Folarin Balogun at the request of Trump.
Recently, Infantino faced the wrath of UEFA, CONMEBOL and AFC after he revealed his plan to sell a minority stake in the World Cup‘s commercial rights. The growing opposition to the plan eventually led FIFA to call it off. However, Infantino’s job is now under threat as many voices are calling for the body to have a new chief.
Amid the growing opposition to Infantino, a Times report claimed that Infantino repeatedly tried to contact Trump after the commercial rights plan collapsed. The report further claimed that Infantino was trying to reach out to the US President to keep his job.
However, FIFA on Tuesday cleared the air, saying Infantino made no such calls and termed the reports “pure fiction.”
“The FIFA President has not made any call to the U.S President, or any members of his administration, in recent days. It is pure fiction,” FIFA Media’s official handle wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
What did the report claim?
A New York Post report further claimed that the FIFA chief was feeling “isolated” amid a wave of criticism from across the football world. The growing criticism has led to scrutiny over Infantino’s desire to seek another term as FIFA president from 2027 to 2031.
The report further claimed that Infantino sought private talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” one insider was quoted as saying by the Post.
“But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point,” the insider added.
The national soccer federations of Serbia, Sweden and Wales have already withdrawn their support for Infantino after a failed proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
Speaking of the investment plan, Infantino’s proposal focused on establishing a commercial entity valued at around USD 20 billion to manage the governing body’s flagship competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, with a minority stake offered to private investors.
