US Soccer Challenges FIFA While Trump With Family Business Interests Supports Infantino
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY — U.S. Soccer has joined a growing push for changes at FIFA, putting the U.S. federation on a different track from President Donald Trump, who has maintained a close relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino as the soccer body faces questions over a proposed World Cup investment deal.
The divide comes as scrutiny continues over Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors through a FIFA subsidiary. The proposal, first reported in the media and developed without consultation with FIFA’s member associations, drew opposition from several major soccer organizations and senior figures who objected to the idea of putting the world’s biggest soccer tournament into private hands.
The proposed investor group was reportedly linked to Thrive Eternal, a venture capital firm founded and managed by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Reports at the time also said the Trump administration had been consulted about the project.
Trump, however, said he had no prior knowledge of Infantino’s plan. Days later, he publicly backed the FIFA president, drawing renewed attention to the close relationship between the two men and the business interests surrounding FIFA.
Infantino has also been given a prominent place around the White House. He was hosted and entertained there at the start of the FIFA World Cup, underscoring the unusually close ties that have developed between the FIFA president and the Trump administration.
Against that backdrop, U.S. Soccer on Aug. 10 joined other soccer organizations in calling for changes at FIFA.
“U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability,” U.S. Soccer said in a post on X.
The statement places the U.S. federation alongside organizations including UEFA, CONCACAF, the English Football Association and the Norwegian Football Federation, which have objected to what they characterize as efforts by FIFA to “sell” the World Cup and other major tournaments.
The dispute is not simply about how FIFA governs soccer. It also raises questions about who stands to benefit financially from decisions involving the World Cup, particularly as FIFA seeks new ways to monetize its biggest competitions.
For Trump, Infantino has remained a valued ally despite the controversy. Their relationship has developed over several years
