It Would Be ‘Terrible Mistake’ To Replace Infantino As FIFA President — Trump

US President Donald Trump has defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino, saying it would be a “terrible mistake” if he’s removed from office.

Trump’s comments came after UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) criticised Infantino over the collapse of a proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.

The proposal involved setting up a new company to control the commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

Under the plan, 21% of the new company would have been sold to a private investment group.

Trump publicly supported Infantino for the first time since details of the FFE proposal emerged on 28 July.

In a social media post, Trump said FIFA would be making a serious mistake if it considered replacing Infantino.

“Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote.

“He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again.”

The 2026 World Cup was hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Spain winning the tournament after defeating Argentina in the final.

When Trump first commented on the FFE proposal on 31 July, he said he had not discussed the matter with Infantino.

Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, was expected to led the proposed investment group.

Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump and presented the US president with FIFA’s first Peace Prize in December 2025.

However, tensions between Infantino and several football confederations have continued to grow.

UEFA has warned that it could consider boycotting FIFA competitions and taking legal action over the abandoned FFE proposal.

UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC represent football in Europe, North and Central America and the Caribbean, and Asia respectively.

Their joint letter came after FIFA accused unnamed groups of carrying out an ongoing campaign to weaken the organisation and Infantino.

The three confederations accused Infantino of betraying their trust and putting himself above the wider football community.

Sources told BBC Sport that there had been early discussions among the confederations about the possibility of creating separate competitions if Infantino remains Fifa president.

However, no serious negotiations have yet taken place.

Although the joint statement did not directly name Infantino, sources said it was widely viewed as a message urging him to step down voluntarily and leave his position with dignity.

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