Since the start of the club World Cup organized in the United States, Gianni Infantino has multiplied appearances alongside Donald Trump. The president of FIFA seems to have an increasingly close relationship with the American president, whom he has continued to greet publicly in recent weeks. During official events related to competition, the two men were seen together on several occasions, and the recent visit of Juventus to the White House, in the presence of Trump, strengthened this impression of an assumed rapprochement between the highest instance of world football and the head of state.
A proximity that does not go unnoticed at a time when the United States is preparing to co-organize the 2026 World Cup. This alliance has been further illustrated by the announcement of the opening of a permanent FIFA office in the Trump Tower in New York, where the Club World Cup trophy is on display this week. A sign of this close collaboration, Donald Trump is expected in person in the final of the competition, scheduled for Sunday at the Metlife Stadium, in New Jersey. While FIFA is officially apolitical, this repeated proximity between Infantino and Trump arouses questions and criticism of any political and influence challenges that are played behind the scenes.
Trump-Infantino, an explosive wedding
As part of its expansion on American soil as the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has officially announced the opening of a new office in New York, located in Trump Tower. This symbolic choice is strengthening the strategic presence of the world football body in the United States, a country that will welcome the next World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, stressed the importance of this local establishment in a city as influential as New York, adding that this presence was not limited to future competitions, but aimed to anchor the organization in the American urban and institutional fabric. In parallel, the FIFA legal division and the teams in charge of the Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup have already been transferred to Miami, thus consolidating a real North American operational hub. This rapprochement displayed between FIFA and Donald Trump did not fail to arouse criticism, especially on the part of those who consider that the organization, supposed to be an apolitical international federation, compromises its neutrality by associating so openly with a controversial political figure. The installation of offices in the Trump Tower and the thanks to the American president are perceived by some as a form of interference or favoritism, strengthening the image of a FIFA influenced by national interests, to the detriment of its global impartiality.
“FIFA is a global organization and, to be global, you have to be present locally, everywhere. We must therefore be present in New York, not only for the Club World Cup this year and the World Cup next year, we must also be present in New York for our offices. We have received considerable support from the government and the president. (…) We also benefited from the exceptional support of local authorities in New York, New Jersey and all host cities, and this has contributed, of course, to the exceptional success of the Club World Cup so far ”. Gianni Infantino also sent his thanks to American President Donald Trump, whom he described as a “big football fan”. He also praised the support of the Trump Organization, notably through Eric Trump, executive president, as well as the involvement of local authorities in host cities like New York and New Jersey. In this context, FIFA announced that the Club World Cup trophy would be exposed in the Trump Tower hall until the final day, scheduled for the Metlife Stadium. This association with the Trump Tower, with a strong symbolic and political charge, testifies to the rapprochement between international sports bodies and certain American circles of influence.
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