Embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly set for crunch talks with the White House on Monday morning as he battles to save his job in the wake of his failed bid to sell off the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino sparked an open revolt when The Times first revealed his bombshell plans to sell a $4.2 billion (£3.1bn) stake in FIFA’s flagship tournament to a private equity firm led by Joshua Kushner.
The proposals have since been scrapped after opposition from UEFA, the North, Central America and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
And as Infantino battles to save his job, the New York Post has claimed that Infantino is now turning to his biggest ally – Donald Trump – to help him survive.
The paper reported that Infantino will hold a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 9am EST (2pm BST), as pressure rises on the FIFA president to resign from his role.
An insider told the Post: ‘He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America. But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.’
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino is in a fight to save his job after his failed bid to sell the World Cup
Infantino will reportedly hold a call with Marco Rubio (C) on Monday to ask for support
A second source described Infantino as feeling ‘isolated’ by the ‘avalanche’ of negativity surrounding his now-doomed plans. ‘He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him,’ they said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to FIFA and the White House for comment, while on X the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, Dylan Johnson, denied that a call is taking place.
He posted: ‘There are no plans for [Marco Rubio] to speak with Infantino and there is no call this morning. [The New York Post] should check their sources or they could have just asked us.’
On Tuesday, a FIFA spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘The FIFA President has not made any call to the U.S President, or any members of his administration, in recent days. It is pure fiction.’
Infantino’s alleged last-ditch attempt to save his presidency comes just days after Trump brutally denied all knowledge of Infantino’s bold sell-off plan.
When asked ‘did Mr Infantino speak to you about his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup?’ Trump brutally first replied: ‘Who?’
After the question was repeated, the president then added: ‘No, I didn’t speak to him.’
Trump’s reaction to Infantino in that Oval Office media session was a far cry from previous comments before and during the World Cup, in which he often gave a glowing review of the FIFA boss.
The Post also reports that Infantino has repeatedly tried to call Trump in the past few days, only to be met with a wall of silence from the president.
Trump brutally responded ‘who?’ when asked if Infantino had consulted him about his plan
Earlier on Monday, Infantino’s battle to survive as FIFA president took another big hit as more nations withdrew their support for his re-election bid.
England, Wales and Finland are the latest countries to explicitly stand against Infantino’s re-election, with more UEFA nations expected to follow.
Prior to his controversial sell-off plans, Infantino had reportedly been endorsed by almost all of FIFA’s 211 member associations for re-election. Candidates must be put forward by November 18 and the vote will take place at FIFA’s congress in March.
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 after replacing Sepp Blatter and is targeting a fourth term in charge.
But the events of recent days – and the controversies that blighted him before and during the World Cup – have rocked his authority.
His plans have been widely lambasted and two of his closest allies have resigned. Firstly, his senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro – who acted as FIFA’s link to the White House during the tournament – stepped down, before chief operating officer Kevin Lamour lambasted the proposals.
UEFA and CONCACAF have called on Infantino to quit but their ploy to depose the Swiss football administrator hit a roadblock after Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon reiterated their confidence in his leadership.
Joshua Kushner – brother of Jared, Donald Trump’s son-in-law – was at the heart of the plans
A lot has changed since Trump and Infantino handed Spain the World Cup trophy on July 19
UEFA and CONCACAF make up 90 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Although that is above the 20 per cent threshold to trigger a vote of no confidence, it falls short of the majority needed to topple Infantino.
With Infantino retaining support from Africa while South America are expected to take the same position, AFC members would be required to oust the FIFA president.
New Zealand could join Europe and CONCACAF’s resistance, but it is doubtful that the remaining 10 members of the Oceania Football Confederation would follow suit.
Infantino wrote to all FIFA nations claiming they would receive $41m (£30m) if they backed his plan to sell off stakes in FIFA’s major competitions.
