Trump vows to back Infantino as FA prepares to withdraw support for Fifa chief

Gianni Infantino’s grip on the Fifa presidency is under mounting strain, with the Football Association reportedly preparing to withdraw its backing for his re-election just as Donald Trump signals he will fight to keep his ally in post.

The crisis stems from Infantino’s now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in a new Fifa organisation tied to the World Cup. The scheme provoked a furious response from multiple confederations, who complained they had not been consulted, and several nations reportedly threatened to boycott the tournament if it went ahead. Infantino shelved the plan on Friday night after Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, among others, made clear their opposition.

Wales lead the way, England set to follow

Wales became the first Fifa member association to formally retract its support for Infantino’s leadership in the wake of the row. According to reports, the FA is now preparing to send its own letter to Fifa withdrawing backing for his continued presidency, a move that would pile further pressure on the Swiss-Italian administrator as he approaches the end of a decade in charge of world football’s governing body.

Former senior FA figure David Davies suggested the closeness between Infantino and the US president had damaged his standing. “My instinct is that it’s gone too far. What’s happening has gone too far for him,” Davies said, describing Infantino as a “political-style” Fifa boss who had been “seduced” by proximity to power.

Trump pledges support for his ‘loyal’ friend

Despite the growing revolt among member associations, Trump is reported to be determined to protect Infantino’s position. A senior administration official close to the pair told The Telegraph that the president regards Infantino as instrumental in delivering “the best World Cup ever” on home soil this year, and would do “everything possible” to help him survive the storm.

“Gianni helped us a lot to deliver the best World Cup ever. The president likes him a lot,” the source said. “I don’t think the president will change his mind on him, because he is a loyal person. Gianni really delivered the World Cup for the United States. We value that.”

The relationship between the two men has come under repeated scrutiny, not least during this summer’s tournament, which the United States co-hosted. Trump has said he personally telephoned Infantino to complain after a red card was shown to a USA striker during the World Cup, with the resulting one-match ban subsequently suspended — a decision that reignited longstanding concerns about political interference in football’s governance.

What happens next

With Wales already having acted and England expected to follow, attention will now turn to whether other major football nations move to formally withdraw their support before any vote on Fifa’s leadership. Infantino has yet to face a serious re-election challenge during his time in charge, but the scale and speed of the backlash over the World Cup sell-off plan suggests his position is more precarious than at any point in his presidency.

Read more: SFA to join UEFA crisis talks over Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan

Sources

• The Mirror
• The Independent

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.