Under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly due to hold high-stakes talks with the White House on Monday morning as he tries to shore up support following the collapse of his controversial attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.
The crisis erupted after The Times revealed Infantino’s explosive proposal to sell a $4.2 billion (£3.1bn) share of FIFA’s showpiece tournament to a private equity group led by Joshua Kushner, triggering a fierce backlash inside world football.
The plans have now been abandoned after strong resistance from UEFA, the North, Central America and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
According to the paper, Infantino is scheduled to speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 9am EST (2pm BST), with scrutiny intensifying and calls growing for the FIFA president to step down.
One insider told the Post: ‘He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America. But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.’
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is battling to protect his position after his failed attempt to sell part of the World Cup
Infantino is reportedly set to speak with Marco Rubio (C) on Monday as he seeks backing
Another source said Infantino has been left feeling ‘isolated’ by what was described as an ‘avalanche’ of criticism over the abandoned proposal. ‘He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him,’ the source added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to FIFA and the White House for comment.
Infantino’s reported last-ditch attempt to save his presidency comes just days after Trump brutally denied all knowledge of Infantino’s bold sell-off plan.
When asked ‘did Mr Infantino speak to you about his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup?’ Trump brutally first replied: ‘Who?’
After the question was repeated, the president then added: ‘No, I didn’t speak to him.’
Trump’s reaction to Infantino in that Oval Office media session was a far cry from previous comments before and during the World Cup, in which he often gave a glowing review of the FIFA boss.
The Post also reports that Infantino has repeatedly tried to call Trump in the past few days, only to be met with a wall of silence from the president.
Trump brutally responded ‘who?’ when asked if Infantino had consulted him about his plan
Earlier on Monday, Infantino’s battle to survive as FIFA president took another big hit as more nations withdrew their support for his re-election bid.
England, Wales and Finland are the latest countries to explicitly stand against Infantino’s re-election, with more UEFA nations expected to follow.
Prior to his controversial sell-off plans, Infantino had reportedly been endorsed by almost all of FIFA’s 211 member associations for re-election. Candidates must be put forward by November 18 and the vote will take place at FIFA’s congress in March.
Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 after replacing Sepp Blatter and is targeting a fourth term in charge.
But the events of recent days – and the controversies that blighted him before and during the World Cup – have rocked his authority.
His plans have been widely lambasted and two of his closest allies have resigned. Firstly, his senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro – who acted as FIFA’s link to the White House during the tournament – stepped down, before chief operating officer Kevin Lamour lambasted the proposals.
UEFA and CONCACAF have called on Infantino to quit but their ploy to depose the Swiss football administrator hit a roadblock after Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon reiterated their confidence in his leadership.
Joshua Kushner – brother of Jared, Donald Trump’s son-in-law – was at the heart of the plans
A lot has changed since Trump and Infantino handed Spain the World Cup trophy on July 19
UEFA and CONCACAF make up 90 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Although that is above the 20 per cent threshold to trigger a vote of no confidence, it falls short of the majority needed to topple Infantino.
With Infantino retaining support from Africa while South America are expected to take the same position, AFC members would be required to oust the FIFA president.
New Zealand could join Europe and CONCACAF’s resistance, but it is doubtful that the remaining 10 members of the Oceania Football Confederation would follow suit.
Infantino wrote to all FIFA nations claiming they would receive $41m (£30m) if they backed his plan to sell off stakes in FIFA’s major competitions.
