FIFA President Gianni Infantino is seeking assistance from the Trump administration to maintain his position and has arranged private discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, as he faces increasing pressure to step down due to his plan to sell the World Cup to Josh Kushner’s private equity firm, according to information obtained by The Post.
Gianni Infantino’s call with Marco Rubio
Two sources knowledgeable about the situation have verified that Infantino will engage in a call with the United States’ leading diplomat shortly after 9 a.m. ET.
“He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” stated one insider to NY POST. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”
According to a second source, the Swiss-Italian sports suit perceived itself as “isolated” amidst the flood of adverse media coverage.
“He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him,” this person stated.
Gianni Infantino made several attempts to connect with Trump
Sources further informed BY POST that Infantino, 56, has made numerous attempts to contact Trump, 80, by phone, but has been unsuccessful since his proposal to divest the game’s commercial assets to private investors fell through on Friday.
This situation has led to a significant backlash against his leadership at the Zurich-based nonprofit, with one FIFA executive informing The Post that there is a desire among officials to remove Infantino from his position, a movement referred to as “Project Kill The Monster.”
Kevin Lamour, the chief operating officer of FIFA, expressed to the Associated Press on Friday that he felt “deceived” by the actions of Infantino, stating that he was not informed about the clandestine discussions.
The halted initiative would have led to the establishment of a new subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise, which was intended to oversee the new business.
Outrage among soccer executives
Thrive Capital, a private equity firm led by Josh Kushner, who is the younger sibling of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, was poised to acquire a 20% interest in the venture for slightly more than $4 billion.
This proposal, first disclosed by The Times of London, incited outrage among soccer executives globally, who asserted that they had only become aware of it through news articles.
On July 30, UEFA, the governing authority for football in Europe, reached a unanimous decision to boycott all competitions organized by FIFA, which includes the upcoming men’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in 2030.
This vote introduced the unprecedented possibility of two host nations missing their own tournament, while also depriving the event of prominent players like Kylian Mbappe, the French forward from Real Madrid, and Lamine Yamal, the young talent from Barcelona in Spain.
