As FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing pressure from notable football bosses in Europe, US President Donald Trump has come out as his primary saviour, with reports claiming that Trump wants Infantino as the next secretary-general of the United Nations, the New York Post reported.
The 55-year-old FIFA boss and the US President share a close relationship, which developed as he met Trump several times ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the US co-hosted with Mexico and Canada. The Swiss-born administrator of world football has often tried to keep himself in Trump's good books, at first by awarding him the FIFA Peace Prize after he was denied his much-desired Nobel Prize, and then during the World Cup, Trump himself revealed how he contacted Infantino to complain about a red card awarded to USMNT's Florian Balogun, which was then reversed.
The US president, on the other hand, believes Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together,” as per a source's claims made to the NY Post.
António Guterres of Portugal, the current secretary general of the United Nations, will retire at the end of December, and his replacement will be elected this year.
Infantino slammed by predecessor, La Liga, UEFA bosses
Infantino has been slammed by former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter as well as La Liga president Javier Tebas. Tebas has accused Infantino of “destroying the football industry” as he gave more priority to the World Cup than to the national competitions. Tebas also claimed that Infantino's “time is up”.
Blatter on the other hand, has called upon “fans, players and national associations to reclaim football and bring it back to its roots under new leadership,” as per a report by The Guardian.
Tebas told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport that Infantino's plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams from 48 this time 'makes no sense'.
“The football industry is not just the World Cup. Not everything can revolve around the World Cup. It is national competitions that support this sport," Tebas said, adding, “They [FIFA] are destroying the football industry, which generates tens of thousands of jobs, for an event that lasts 40 days and involves a minority of players. We need fewer national teams and more protection for national football, at all levels. They don’t realise they are making irresponsible decisions.”
He also said that although he wants Infantino to resign, the latter enjoys the support of the system and "of the federations. There is no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose. It is a system rotten at its core.”
Regarding the red card reversal, Tebas said, “The suspension of the American player’s ban was absolutely serious. They were lucky Belgium eliminated the USA because a case could have arisen that might have cost Infantino his job. Since Belgium won they were able to bury the matter. But these things are just the tip of the iceberg.”
Although UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has not publicly said anything against Infantino yet, he refused to attend the FIFA World Cup final after a series of disagreements with FIFA over match operations, refereeing logistics, disciplinary procedures, and other issues, Reuters reported citing a source familiar with the matter.
Balogun's red card reversal also played a part in Ceferin's decision, the report revealed.
