Gianni Infantino is turning out to be an embarrassment to fans of the beautiful game.Early this year, Infantino, the Fifa president, inexplicably conferred a “peace prize” on Donald Trump, the US president. The global football watchdog has no history of awarding such prizes.This bizarre peace prize was awarded weeks before Trump abducted Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president. A subsequent war against Iran has caused untold damage to the world economy through the disruption of the global energy trade.This past weekend, Fifa lifted the suspension on US player Folarin Balogun. The US striker was red carded for fouling an opponent in a previous match.This plainly non-football decision has caused outrage among the lovers of the game. Continental bodies such as Uefa, Europe’s soccer body, have condemned the decision, as has Keir Starmer, the outgoing UK prime minister.Even Sepp Blatter, Infantino’s predecessor who left world football in disgrace, weighed in on the scandal.More concerning are disclosures at the weekend that Trump leaned on Infantino to have the decision overturned. This is troubling in the extreme.Trump’s apologists don’t deny the calls. They claim, incredibly, that Trump sought to better understand the rationale for the decision.The interaction is inappropriate at all levels. It’s true that the American president doesn’t understand the rules of the sport he has the privilege of hosting. However, he has access to world-class football experts who can school him on the game’s rule book. The head of the US football association, a Fifa affiliate, could have organised this crash course for the president.A call to Infantino smacks of intimidation — a trait Trump is well known for.It’s too soon to tell exactly what Infantino did to orchestrate a change of heart by Fifa.Still, the optics are bad. Football is a game of peace and friendship. Its complex, yet well-understood, rules ensure the sport’s integrity is enhanced. Under Infantino, these principles look increasingly imperilled.Also, under Infantino another sacrosanct principle has been sacrificed: his unusually close relationship with Trump has allowed politics into the affairs of the game.Even during the darkest days of world football under Blatter’s rule, politicians were kept as far away as possible from the game to protect its integrity. In fact, Fifa was routinely accused of bullying host governments. This was tolerated as it was in defence of the game’s integrity and independence from politics.Infantino has used his leadership to open the door to political interference. Trump knows he can get away with this behaviour thanks to his inappropriate bromance with Infantino.In the previous edition of the World Cup, Infantino turned a blind eye to the human rights issues of Trump’s allies who hosted the tournament in 2024. The privilege of hosting this loved game helped Qatar to burnish its world image.If anything, the latest debacle is another proof point that Infantino is not the friend of the game; instead, he is the enemy from within.Fans are right to have ignored the off-pitch noise. As a transitional man to clean up the game’s image, Infantino has done his job. But his continued stay at the helm is not in the game’s interest.He has treated affiliates, such as Europeans, with disdain.In Rabat next year, Fifa’s affiliates will have their say on Infantino’s tenure. It is now in the affiliates’ hands to determine not only Infantino’s fate but also that of the integrity of the sport cherished by billions across the world.