Trump says it would be 'terrible mistake' to remove Infantino

What the report says

US President Donald Trump has publicly defended Fifa president Gianni Infantino after European, North and Central American, and Asian football confederation leaders accused him of breaking trust over a shelved commercial plan. In a social media post reported by BBC Sport Football, Trump said it would be a “terrible mistake” for Fifa to consider removing Infantino, describing him as highly successful in the role.

The dispute centres on Infantino’s abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal. According to the BBC, the idea would have created a new company to handle commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold to a private investment firm. Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation responded with an open letter saying Infantino had acted “through deception.”

BBC Sport noted this is the first time Trump has backed Infantino since the plan became public on 28 July. Trump had earlier said he had not discussed the proposal with Infantino. The article also said Thrive Eternal was expected to lead the proposed investor group, and that Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, Jared Kushner’s brother.

The exchange matters because it adds a political dimension to an internal Fifa governance dispute, while also highlighting tension over how football’s global commercial rights are managed. Separately, the BBC article mentions the 2026 World Cup was co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, and that Spain won the tournament after beating Argentina in the final.