Trump: 'Replacing Infantino would be a terrible mistake'

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association would make “a terrible mistake” if it considered replacing its current president, Gianni Infantino. He argued that without Infantino, future World Cups would not match past success.

US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington

EPA/BONNIE CASH

According to AFP, the post reaffirmed Trump’s support for Infantino, who created the FIFA Peace Prize for him in December 2025.

Infantino, who spent 16 years at UEFA before becoming FIFA president in 2016, has faced strong pressure from the global football community. Critics point to his close ties with Trump and, above all, his plan to partially privatize the management of rights to major international tournaments. Under the proposal, a share of the rights would be acquired by a fund indirectly linked to the US president.

After protests from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, Infantino announced he would withdraw the project. Despite this, criticism of his leadership continues.

(pu)

Source: PAP