Some men have powerful friends.
Gianni Infantino, it turns out, has one of the most powerful on the planet.
The $15 billion plan to privatise the World Cup’s commercial assets has collapsed.
However, UEFA is threatening legal action.
Wales have withdrawn their support for his re-election.
England are expected to follow.
And yet, according to insiders, Infantino may have a safety net that no federation statement can remove.
Donald Trump set to do “everything possible” to keep Gianni Infantino as FIFA president
According to The Telegraph, insiders claim that Donald Trump will intervene to protect Infantino’s position ,with the US President understood to “like him a lot” following a World Cup he described as the “best ever,” and determined to do “everything possible” to keep the FIFA president in post.
The context is extraordinary.
Infantino is facing the most significant threat to his decade-long reign as FIFA president.
His plan to unlock up to $15 billion by selling a roughly 20% stake in a new entity overseeing the World Cup and other competitions collapsed last week.
After fierce resistance from UEFA, CONCACAF and other confederations made the proposal politically untenable.
However, UEFA had threatened a full boycott of FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded.
Wales formally withdrew their support for Infantino’s re-election to the 2027-2031 term.
England are expected to follow.
Norway, Romania, Germany, Denmark and Sweden never gave their support in the first place.
CONCACAF called for a full review of his leadership.
More than 200 letters of endorsement are now being retracted.
However, the only thing standing between Infantino and a growing campaign to remove him may be his relationship with the man in the White House.
Trump’s involvement in this World Cup has been well documented.
Starting from lobbying FIFA over Folarin Balogun’s red card.
To the connection between the FFE investment plan and Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Eternal firm, which has direct family ties to the President.
Thus, that closeness between the two men is now the defining variable in whether Infantino survives.
If Trump does “everything possible” to keep him in position, the question is what that looks like in practice.
And whether the 211 FIFA member associations will feel any pressure as a result.
Therefore, a vote of no confidence would need only 43 associations to trigger.
Yet, the number moving against Infantino is growing.
The number Trump might be able to hold in place is the question nobody can yet answer.
Want to get the latest transfer news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
