FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reportedly reached out to the Trump administration in an effort to bolster his position as criticism of his leadership intensifies, with a private discussion scheduled with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to the New York Post.
The New York Post reported that Infantino sought high-level political support after the collapse of his proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a plan that triggered widespread opposition from football stakeholders around the world.
According to the report, the FIFA president was unable to reach President Donald Trump directly and instead arranged a private conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While the discussion is expected to centre publicly on football’s influence as a global soft-power tool, sources cited by the newspaper claim Infantino is also looking to strengthen his standing as calls for his departure grow louder.
The reported outreach comes after Infantino faced fierce backlash over his attempt to introduce private investment into FIFA’s commercial operations, a proposal that was ultimately abandoned following opposition from several football confederations. Neither FIFA nor the White House immediately commented on the report.
