US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his support for his friend Gianni Infantino, as the embattled FIFA chief continues to fight mounting criticism and calls for him to step down.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said football world governing body FIFA "would be making a terrible mistake" if it decided to part ways with Infantino.
"He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented," Trump wrote, adding: "If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again."
Infantino has come under huge pressure in recent weeks over a proposed private investment plan that would have seen third-party investors able to purchase stakes in a new commercial subsidiary known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The FFE would have run FIFA's commercial operations and events, including the World Cup, leading to accusations that FIFA was attempting to "sell" the sport and prompting widespread criticism.
FIFA has since scrapped the plan and acknowledged that "mistakes" were made in the way it handled the situation, but the fallout has continued to snowball, with a growing divide amongst confederations and football associations.
