(AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reportedly turned to President Donald Trump in a bid to save his job as pressure mounts after his proposed bid to spin off the organization’s commercial assets to private investors.
Infantino is set to hold private talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to an exclusive report from the New York Post, which cited two sources who claimed the soccer chief scheduled a call with Rubio for shortly after 9 a.m. ET on Monday.
“He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” one source briefed on the matter told the newspaper. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”
A second source also panned the move to The Post and added: “He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him.”
Infantino has also repeatedly attempted to contact Trump by phone since the investment proposal collapsed on Friday, but has been unable to reach him, according to the report.
The failed plan would have transferred FIFA’s broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing businesses into a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise.
Thrive Capital, an investment firm led by Josh Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was expected to acquire a 20% stake in the venture for just over $4 billion.
The proposal, first reported by The Times of London, drew fierce opposition from soccer federations, many of which reportedly learned of the discussions through media reports rather than FIFA itself.
The Post also reported that the fallout has sparked an internal campaign against Infantino’s leadership, with one FIFA executive describing an effort to remove him from office under the nickname “Project Kill The Monster.”
Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, added to the turmoil on Friday when he told the Associated Press he felt “deceived” by Infantino’s handling of the negotiations, saying he had not been aware of the private talks.
The leadership crisis also widened internationally.
Last week, UEFA, the European soccer federation, voted unanimously to boycott future FIFA-organized competitions, including the men’s 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
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