Calls are mounting for Gianni Infantino's removal from the FIFA presidency, and now US President Donald Trump has waded into the crisis to save his close ally. The plan to privatise the World Cup's commercial assets has become the biggest threat yet to the most powerful man in football.
Sources told Britain's "Telegraph" that Trump is ready to do everything in his power to keep Infantino in his post. Broad international alliances are forming to withdraw confidence from him after the collapse of his controversial plan to sell shares of the World Cup to private-sector investors.
Pressure to resign is growing on Infantino following the collapse of that 15 billion dollar plan, which aimed to privatise football's commercial assets and sell shares in them to investors.
The failure sparked a wave of anger in the corridors of world football. A number of continental and national federations are now reconsidering their support for the FIFA president, and demands for a change at the top of the international federation are growing.
Moves within the Trump administration
Reports on Monday suggested Infantino was preparing for talks with officials in the Trump administration, among them US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a bid to shore up his position within FIFA. Both FIFA and the US State Department rushed to deny the accuracy of those reports.
A senior US official close to Trump and Infantino confirmed to "The Telegraph" that the president has developed great appreciation for the FIFA chief after he played an important role in the United States hosting what the official called "the best World Cup ever". Trump, he stressed, wants him to stay put.
Controversy erupted during the tournament when Trump revealed, in an unusual precedent, that he had asked Infantino to intervene and overturn the suspension of Folarin Balogun before the United States' round-of-16 clash with Belgium.
The source said: "Gianni helped us a great deal in delivering the best World Cup ever. The president is very impressed with him, and I am confident he will do everything in his power to help him."
He added: "I don't think the president will change his stance towards him, as he is a very loyal person. Gianni contributed to the United States securing the hosting of the World Cup, and we appreciate that greatly."
United Nations dream and a close relationship
Before the crisis erupted, reports spoke of Trump's desire to nominate Infantino as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations, despite his repeated criticisms of the organisation and his view that it no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.
Their strong relationship dates back to August 2018, when the two men met for the first time. As a joke, the FIFA president handed the US president two yellow cards and a red one, saying they might help him deal with the media.
Since then, the bond between the two has strengthened enormously. During the draw ceremony for the 2026 World Cup last December, Infantino gifted Trump a golden trophy bearing his name, along with a medal he placed around his neck.
Trump also collected the "FIFA Peace Prize" in December, shortly after he failed to land the Nobel Peace Prize he has never hidden his desire to win.
Failed contact attempts and an American defence
The "New York Post" reported a new twist: Infantino tried to reach Trump after the collapse of the project to sell the World Cup rights, but he couldn't get through.
Asked on Friday about the plan to sell the tournament's rights, Trump confirmed he had not discussed the matter with the FIFA president.
Paolo Zamboli, the special envoy for global partnerships, said Infantino's record does not reflect a desire to protect a "closed club" of the richest football institutions, but rather a genuine pursuit of expanding the game's reach and giving more countries, communities and children the chance to benefit from it.
He added: "He listened to the concerns and withdrew the proposal, and this is conduct befitting true leaders. The debate now must focus on how to distribute football's wealth and opportunities across all 211 member federations, rather than keeping them in the hands of a few."
England leads the opposition front
The English Football Association, by contrast, is playing a pivotal role in forming a new global alliance to overthrow Infantino. It is coordinating with UEFA, which has intensified its contacts with the African and Asian federations to rally support against the FIFA president.
"Telegraph" information confirms the English FA has already withdrawn its support for Infantino and was preparing to tell him so officially, in protest at the plan to sell shares of the World Cup, which included investors with ties to Trump.
Africa and Asia hold 100 national federations entitled to vote, nearly half the members of the FIFA General Assembly, making their position decisive in any move to withdraw confidence. Yet no federation from the two continents has publicly called for Infantino's departure. On the contrary, the federations of Morocco, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon have declared their support for him.
The African football federation did not object to the plan to sell World Cup shares either, contenting itself with confirming it would study the proposal. The Asian Football Confederation rejected the project, but stopped short of demanding Infantino's dismissal.
Time is a decisive factor for the FIFA president's opponents. Submitting a formal request to withdraw confidence requires prior notice that may extend to three months, which gives Infantino a chance to recover support within the General Assembly.
An emergency meeting ignited the crisis
At UEFA's emergency meeting on Thursday, Debbie Hewitt, president of the English FA and FIFA vice-president, along with a number of FIFA Council members, confirmed they had not been aware of the plan to sell shares of the World Cup.
Less than 24 hours later, an unprecedented wave of objections forced Infantino to withdraw the project entirely.
UEFA led the rebellion, announcing that the 55 European federations were prepared to boycott the world tournaments if Infantino pressed ahead with his plan.
Laura McAllister, former Wales captain and UEFA vice-president, was the first to raise the idea of the boycott during the emergency meeting.
Wales officially withdraws its support
In an official statement, the Football Association of Wales announced the withdrawal of its support for Gianni Infantino's candidacy for a new term running from 2027 to 2031.
The statement confirmed that recent failures in governance, working mechanisms, leadership, values, management of relations with the parties concerned, communication and poor judgement had cost the Football Association of Wales its confidence in Infantino's ability to continue leading world football.
It added that the failure to place the interest of the game above any other considerations is something that cannot be accepted.
UEFA had, on Saturday, attacked what it called "secret schemes prepared in haste, contrived by unknown persons, achieving benefits of doubtful value for football", confirming it is working on a plan to prevent any recurrence.
The English FA responded by affirming its full support for UEFA's position, stressing the need for a comprehensive and robust review of FIFA's leadership and governance so that world football is run with transparency and for the benefit of all member federations, entrenching the principles of good management over the long term.
The federations of the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Sweden joined the English FA too, declaring their rejection of Infantino's continuation at the helm of FIFA.