By Sabiu Abdullahi
US President Donald Trump has warned Fifa against removing its president, Gianni Infantino, amid growing pressure on the football governing body’s leadership over a controversial investment proposal.
Trump said replacing Infantino would be a “terrible mistake”, as opposition to the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal continues to grow among major football confederations.
The FFE plan reportedly involved the creation of a new company to oversee the commercial and ticketing rights of Fifa competitions, including the World Cup. Under the proposal, a 21 per cent stake in the company would have been sold to a private investment firm.
Trump made his latest comments on social media, marking his first public defence of Infantino since details of the FFE proposal emerged on 28 July.
“Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino,” Trump wrote on social media.
“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 jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Spain winning the tournament after defeating Argentina in the final.
Trump had earlier said on 31 July, when the FFE proposal first came under scrutiny, that he had not discussed the plan with Infantino.
The proposed investment group was expected to be led by Thrive Eternal, an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Infantino has maintained a close relationship with Trump. In December 2025, the Fifa president presented the US president with the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize.
The pressure on Infantino has increased after Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation accused him of violating their trust “through deception” over the abandoned FFE proposal.
The three confederations have also threatened further action. Uefa has warned that it could boycott Fifa competitions and pursue legal action over the failed investment plan.
In a joint letter, the confederations said:
“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,”
Although the statement did not identify Infantino by name, sources cited by BBC Sport said it should be interpreted as an opportunity for him to resign.
There have also been preliminary discussions among the three confederations about possible breakaway competitions if Infantino remains in office. However, substantive negotiations have reportedly not started.
Fifa had earlier described the opposition to the proposal as a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine” the organisation and Infantino.
