Report: Under-fire FIFA boss Infantino begs Trump to save his job, set for talks with Marco Rubio
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants the Trump administration to help keep him in office and has scheduled private talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday amid growing pressure to resign over his scheme to sell off the World Cup to Josh Kushner’s private equity firm, The Post has learned.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that Infantino will hold a call with America’s top diplomat just after 9 a.m. ET.
“He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” said one insider briefed on the matter. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”
A second source said the Swiss-Italian football chief felt “isolated” by the avalanche of negative media coverage.
“He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him,” the source said.
The Post has sought comment from FIFA and the US State Department.
Sources also said Infantino, 56, has repeatedly tried and failed to reach President Donald Trump, 80, by phone since his plan to sell the game’s commercial assets to private investors collapsed on Friday.
The Post previously reported that Infantino’s attempt to spin off broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing rights was abandoned following widespread opposition from football federations around the world.
The controversy has also triggered an open revolt against his leadership at the Zurich-based governing body, with one FIFA executive telling The Post that officials want to remove Infantino through a movement nicknamed “Project Kill The Monster.”
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour told the Associated Press on Friday that he felt “deceived” by Infantino’s actions, saying he had been unaware of the secret discussions.
The abandoned plan would have created a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, to oversee the commercial business.
Thrive Capital, a private equity firm run by Josh Kushner, the younger brother of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was expected to acquire a 20 per cent stake in the venture for just over $4 billion.
The proposal, first reported by The Times of London, angered football administrators globally, many of whom said they learned about it through media reports.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, voted unanimously on July 30 to boycott all FIFA-organised competitions, including the 2030 men’s World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The decision raised the unprecedented possibility of two host nations missing their own tournament while depriving the competition of leading stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
Credit: New York Post
