Trump backs Gianni Infantino as FIFA boss faces World Cup sell-off fallout

Since pitching the FIFA World Cup sell-off plan to the member associations, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been caught in controversy as global backlash is going to threaten his position.

In the midst of outrage comes the support from President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Trump warned FIFA of making a terrible mistake if they oust Gianni Infantino of his position as the head of football’s governing body.

This is for the first time since the FFE plans came to light, Trump threw his support behind Infantino’s leadership.

"Fifa would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing president Gianni Infantino," Trump wrote on social media.

"He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again."

Trump’s comments come after the UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issued an open letter to Infantino in which they accused him of “breaking trust through deception” by pursuing his scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal.

“When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the statement reads.

"U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA's governance, transparency and accountability," it added.

According to sources involved in drafting the letter, the three confederations saw it as a chance for Infantino, who is running for re-election next March, to step down with his dignity intact.