Trump warns FIFA against removing Gianni Infantino

Donald Trump has stated that FIFA would be making a "terrible mistake" if it considered removing its president, Gianni Infantino, under pressure. The comments follow an open letter from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation accusing Infantino of a breach of trust "through deception" regarding the now-abandoned 'FIFA Forward Enterprise' project. The proposal involved creating a new entity to manage commercial rights and ticket sales for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, with 21 per cent of the company to be sold to a private equity firm. Writing on social media, Trump stated that replacing Infantino would be a "terrible mistake," describing him as "terrific" and crediting him with overseeing the most successful World Cup in history. He claimed the tournament was four times more successful than any previous edition and warned that without Infantino, the competition would never be as successful or profitable again. This marks the first time Trump has openly defended Infantino since details of the project emerged on 28 July. On 31 July, Trump had initially stated he had not discussed the matter with the FIFA president. The proposed investment group for the project was set to be led by the American firm Thrive, a venture capital company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law. Infantino awarded Trump the FIFA Peace Prize in 2025. The 2026 World Cup was co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Spain defeating Argentina in the final.