WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump said that it would be a “terrible mistake” to replace Gianni Infantino as the FIFA president, pointing out the success of the recently concluded, expanded FIFA World Cup 2026 to state that the sport would “never be as successful or profitable” if he is gone.

Trouble has been looming over Infantino’s presidency ever since he announced the FIFA Forward Enterprise, which aimed at bringing private involvement/investment in FIFA-related competitions, particularly the FIFA World Cup. The move invited a lot of wrath and concern from football associations across the world, notably UEFA, CONCACAF, FA, Asian Football Confederation (AFC), among others. While the plan was withdrawn following the backlash and numerous member associations have extended their support to Infantino, it is safe to say that the FIFA president’s popularity and trust have taken a massive dent.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino. He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”.

After the withdrawal of FIFA Forward Enterprise, in another statement, Infantino and FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafstrom apologised for the errors and pledged that they would not be repeated, that a review would be done, and findings would be submitted to the FIFA Council during the next meeting. But despite all this, Infantino battles to retain his spot ahead of the presidential elections next year in March.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a joint statement on Monday, calling out the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, for “breaking trust through deception” as he tried to go ahead with his ‘FIFA Forward Enterprise’ and how the governing body failed to recognise the idea of selling a stake in the FIFA World Cup as a “profound failure of judgment.”

The three governing bodies called the growth in sport during the last decade something real, but said that it was “never the work of one individual” and rather a “shared achievement”.

“It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game. The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together,” said the statement.

Calling out Infantino, they said that football leadership is “not a possession” but a “duty of service” to the football family.

“Football leadership is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it,” said the statement.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” continued the statement.

On the FIFA Forward Enterprise, the three governing bodies said that what football witnessed was a “failure of judgement”.

“A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight — it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny,” the statement said.

“It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve,” the statement continued.

They also called on FIFA and President Infantino for “silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness.”

These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it,” the statement said.