Can the White House save him? Infantino seeks Trump’s backing amid historic FIFA revolt

The President support the Swiss after the failure of the project to privatize the World Cup

Gianni Infantino is not alone at the most difficult moment of his tenure at the head of FIFA. As pressure mounts for him to step down from the presidency after the collapse of his plan to sell stakes in football’s commercial assets, Donald Trump could come to his defense.

As reported by The Telegraph, several internal sources have confirmed that the U.S. president is willing to “do everything possible” to prevent the departure of the top leader of world football, with whom he has strengthened his relationship during the organization of the 2026 World Cup.

The setback suffered by Infantino came last Friday, when the proposal to create a $15 billion operation to bring private investors into FIFA's commercial assets, including the World Cup, ultimately failed. The initiative has caused significant internal wear and tear and has revived calls for him to resign.

Washington's backing

The British newspaper notes that the Swiss leader is said to have tried to strengthen his position by seeking the support of members of the U.S. Administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, both FIFA and the State Department itself denied that those meetings were planned. Despite this, a source close to both Trump and the Administration told The Telegraph that the president holds Infantino in high regard and that his intention is to support him while the crisis continues.

“Gianni helped us a lot in organizing the best World Cup in history. The president likes him very much. I am sure he will do everything possible to help him”, the aforementioned source said.