Donald Trump speaks out on Gianni Infantino sack saga as FIFA president faces mounting pressure

US President Donald Trump has spoken out in defence of under-pressure FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino has been heavily criticised in recent weeks for his role in an attempt to sell off shares in FIFA tournaments to private investors through the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

Despite the plan having since been withdrawn and Infantino issuing a public apology, UEFA and a number of its member associations have called for a review of the organisation’s leadership, with the next FIFA presidential election set to take place in March 2027.

The FA has also withdrawn its support for Infantino, with a proposed UEFA boycott still on the table.

FIFA has already defended its president, suggesting there has been a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine the governing body and Infantino.

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"The Fifa president was democratically elected by Fifa's Member Associations and continues to serve with their mandate," FIFA said on Saturday (August 8).

"It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president.

"Those who do not have the support of Fifa's member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through Fifa's established democratic processes."

The Mexican Football Federation also defended Infantino, showing support for his presidency, with Conmebol – South America’s governing body – also offering its support, saying it would reject an attempt to remove Infantino without a democratic vote by all 211 member countries.

Meanwhile, on August 10, Infantino was accused of breaking trust “through deception” in an open letter released by UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Federation.

Part of the open letter read: “Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.

“FIFA's recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process. It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgement.

“A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed towards a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight – it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny.

“It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgement – not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.

“FIFA has also committed to presenting a full report on these events to the FIFA Council, once again failing to recognise that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgement would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party, not by FIFA itself, its staff, or by any stakeholder within football. The FIFA administration should play no role in conducting the review.”

Donald Trump defends Gianni Infantino despite mounting pressure

Despite the continuing pressure, Infantino retains support from several global football governing bodies.

It appears the Swiss-Italian also has the support of President Trump, who took to social media to defend him on Tuesday (August 11).

"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!"

Trump and Infantino have a close relationship and worked together to deliver the 2026 FIFA World Cup.