FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly set for talks with the White House on Monday morning as he battles to save his job following his failed bid to sell off a stake in the World Cup to private investors, according to the New York Post.
Infantino sparked an open revolt after The Times first revealed his plan to sell a $4.2 billion (£3.1bn) stake in FIFA's flagship tournament to a private equity firm led by Joshua Kushner. The proposals have since been scrapped after opposition from UEFA, the North, Central America and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The New York Post reported that Infantino will hold a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 9am EST (2pm BST), as pressure mounts on him to resign. An 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."
A second source described Infantino as feeling "isolated" by the "avalanche" of negativity surrounding his now-doomed plans, adding: "He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him."
Denials from Washington and FIFA
The Daily Mail has reached out to FIFA and the White House for comment. On X, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson denied that any call is taking place, writing: "There are no plans for [Marco Rubio] to speak with Infantino and there is no call this morning. [The New York Post] should check their sources or they could have just asked us."
On Tuesday, a FIFA spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "The FIFA President has not made any call to the U.S President, or any members of his administration, in recent days. It is pure fiction."
The reported outreach comes days after Trump denied any knowledge of Infantino's sell-off plan. Asked whether Infantino had spoken to him about the proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup, Trump first replied: "Who?" When the question was repeated, he added: "No, I didn't speak to him."
The Post also reported that Infantino has repeatedly tried to call Trump in recent days, only to be met with silence from the president.
Support crumbling among member nations
Earlier on Monday, Infantino's bid to remain FIFA president took another hit as more nations withdrew their support for his re-election. England, Wales and Finland became the latest countries to explicitly oppose Infantino's re-election bid, with more UEFA nations expected to follow.
Prior to the 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, with the vote taking place at FIFA's congress in March. Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016, when he replaced Sepp Blatter, and is targeting a fourth term in charge.
His plans have been widely criticised and two of his closest allies have resigned. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who acted as FIFA's link to the White House during the World Cup, stepped down, while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the proposals.
UEFA and CONCACAF fall short of majority
UEFA and CONCACAF have called on Infantino to quit, but their effort to depose him hit a roadblock after Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon reiterated their confidence in his leadership.
UEFA and CONCACAF together make up 90 of FIFA's 211 member associations. That is above the 20 per cent threshold needed to trigger a vote of no confidence, but it falls short of the majority required to remove him.
With Infantino retaining support from Africa and South America expected to take the same position, AFC members would be needed to oust him. New Zealand could join Europe and CONCACAF's resistance, though it is doubtful the remaining 10 members of the Oceania Football Confederation would follow suit.
Infantino wrote to all FIFA nations claiming they would receive $41 million (£30m) if they backed his plan to sell off stakes in FIFA's major competitions.
