US President Donald Trump has said that removing FIFA President Gianni Infantino from office would be a "terrible mistake".
Trump's statement came after UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued an open letter against Infantino. The organizations accused the FIFA head of "breaching trust through deception" in connection with the now-suspended FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
Modern.az reports with reference to the BBC that the FFE project envisaged the creation of a new company that would manage the commercial and ticket sales rights of all FIFA competitions, including World Cups. It was planned to sell 21 percent of the company's shares to a private investment company.
Trump publicly defended Infantino for the first time since the FFE plans came to light on July 28.
"If FIFA considers replacing President Gianni Infantino for any reason, it would be a terrible mistake. He is magnificent. He led the most successful World Cup in history. If he leaves, the World Cup will never be so successful and profitable again," Trump wrote on social media.
It should be noted that the 2026 World Cup was co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. Spain defeated Argentina in the final to become champion.
In his first statement on the FFE project on July 31, Trump said that he had not discussed the matter with Infantino.
According to reports, the investor group for FFE was expected to be led by US venture capital firm Thrive. The company's founder is Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
It is known that Infantino and Trump have a close relationship. The FIFA president presented Trump with the organization's first FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025.
