New York: US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino have been in the news for one controversy or another since the recent Football World Cup, and now, with Infantino facing the possibility of losing his position, Trump has adopted a protective stance towards him.
In an interview, Trump said, “It would be a terrible mistake for the football world to remove Infantino as FIFA president. Don’t even think about removing Infantino from his position. He is doing a great job. Under his presidency, FIFA recently organised a fantastic World Cup. His tournament was four times more successful than all previous World Cups. If you remove him from the post, we will never see a World Cup this successful and profitable again.”
Last month, many football fans criticised FIFA’s decision to invite Trump onto the stage to present the trophy to champions Spain at the end of the FIFA World Cup. In addition, several other issues have kept Trump and Infantino in the spotlight for nearly one-and-a-half months. These include the alleged mistreatment of Iranian players during the World Cup, FIFA’s decision to remove a top African referee from the tournament even before its start, the short hydration breaks during matches, the entertainment stage show during half-time of the final, and, most notably, the withdrawal of the red card shown to American player Folarin Balogun in the match against Bosnia on July 1 following Trump’s intervention. Infantino had recently said, “Mr President, we turned the American dream into reality. We brought the whole world together.”
FIFA’s Equity Plan Also Draws Criticism
Adding to the controversy, Infantino’s decision, announced two days after the Spain-Argentina final, to sell a portion of the World Cup’s equity stake to attract major investment has also drawn strong criticism in the football world. Josh Kushner was particularly interested in purchasing the equity stake. Josh Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to US President Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
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