Washington DC: U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that replacing Gianni Infantino as FIFA president would be a "terrible mistake," citing the success of the expanded FIFA World Cup 2026 to assert that the sport would "never be as successful or profitable" without his leadership.

Pressure has mounted on Infantino's presidency since his announcement of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a project aimed at introducing private investment into FIFA-governed competitions, including the FIFA World Cup. The initiative provoked strong resistance and concern from global governing bodies, including UEFA, CONCACAF, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Football Association.

Although the proposal was subsequently scrapped following widespread pushback, and several member associations reaffirmed their backing, the episode has significantly damaged the FIFA chief's standing.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared: "FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino. 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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT".

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Following the withdrawal of the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström issued an apology for the missteps, promising they would not recur and confirming that a review's findings would be presented to the FIFA Council at its next session.

Despite those assurances, Infantino faces a challenge to retain his position heading into the upcoming presidential election in March.

UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC released a joint statement on Monday accusing the FIFA president of "breaking trust through deception" via the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, describing the attempt to sell a stake in the World Cup as a "profound failure of judgment."

While acknowledging the sport's growth over the past decade, the three confederations stressed that it was a "shared achievement" rather than "the work of one individual."

"It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game. The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together," the statement read.

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Turning directly to Infantino's tenure, the governing bodies asserted that football leadership is "not a possession" but a "duty of service" to the global game.

"Football leadership is not a possession. It is not about holding - or demanding - power to be held. It is a duty of service to the football family that entrusts it," the statement noted. "When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."

Regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, the three entities characterised the venture as a "failure of judgement."

"A proposal advanced on a compressed timeline, without meaningful consultation, and pushed toward a deadline before Member Associations could properly review its terms is not the product of an oversight -- it is the product of a design intended to limit scrutiny," the statement said. "It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong. There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment -- not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve."

The confederations further criticised FIFA and Infantino for "silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness."

"These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football's strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it," the statement concluded.

ANI