Gianni Infantino is facing mounting pressure to resign following his decision to abandon plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup to private investors, according to earlier reports by The Telegraph. The latest disclosures from The Times reveal that senior officials from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF have secretly formed an alliance to force Infantino out. Should Infantino refuse to step down voluntarily, the three confederations are prepared to jointly "paralyse" FIFA and may even go so far as to establish a breakaway international tournament to rival the World Cup.
The Football Association of Wales has already formally withdrawn its support for Infantino's re-election bid, citing "failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement" that have led it to lose confidence in him. Football associations in the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden and several other countries have also come out in opposition.
Earlier reports suggested that US President Donald Trump would do "everything possible" to prevent FIFA President Gianni Infantino from being ousted following the collapse of his plan to sell World Cup shares. Infantino was reportedly expected to meet with members of Trump's cabinet in an attempt to shore up his position, but both FIFA and the US State Department denied this.
However, a senior official close to both Trump and Infantino told The Telegraph that the President had grown fond of Infantino after he helped the United States host the "best World Cup ever" and would like to see him survive. "Gianni helped us a lot to deliver the best World Cup ever. The President likes him a lot. I am sure the President will do everything possible to help him," the source said. "I don't think the President will change his mind on him, because he is a loyal person. Gianni really delivered the World Cup for the United States. We value that."
The report added that before the scandal broke, Trump had even wanted Infantino to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. The two have grown increasingly close since their first meeting in 2018; Infantino has presented Trump with a golden trophy and medal, and awarded him the "FIFA Peace Prize".
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