Trump Quiet As Infantino World Cup Scheme Collapses

As FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces criticism from top soccer officials globally, U.S. President Donald Trump has remained notably silent on the unfolding turmoil within FIFA. Despite his close friendship with Infantino and potential investor Joshua Kushner, President Trump has not voiced support for the FIFA president or his proposed plan.

At Camp David on Friday, following the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, Trump was questioned about whether he was aware of Infantino's ambitious plan to bring in outside investors for a new $20 billion commercial arm. President Trump stated, "No, I never spoke to him," and proceeded to answer the next query. Infantino's close relationship with Trump has been met with disapproval, particularly from European soccer officials.

In recent months, Trump has been seen alongside Infantino at events such as a Trump Tower gathering ahead of the World Cup final, where the FIFA president was praised for his decisions, including allowing Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium. Infantino also accompanied Trump to peace talks between Hamas and Israel in October and signed a deal with Trump's Board of Peace, which included raising $75 million for Gaza projects.

However, the White House has remained unresponsive to numerous requests for comment following Cordeiro's resignation. The controversy surrounding the scheme has escalated with FIFA announcing its plan for FIFA Forward Enterprise, which involves selling 20% of FIFA's commercial business to investors, with Thrive Eternal, a holding company founded by Joshua Kushner, as the anticipated lead minority investor.

Critics, including UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation, have expressed concerns about the plan and called for an urgent review of FIFA's governance and decision-making framework.