US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino, warning that world football’s governing body would be making “a terrible mistake” if it moved to replace him.

Infantino is under intense pressure after a controversial attempt to bring private investors into FIFA competitions, including future World Cups. The plan, which critics said would have handed too much control to outside financiers, was launched and then hastily withdrawn following a fierce backlash from within the game.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump praised Infantino as “fantastic” and credited him with overseeing “the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented.” Trump added that if Infantino were forced out, the tournament would “never be as successful or profitable again.”

The US president’s intervention comes despite US Soccer aligning with a growing coalition of critics. In a rare joint broadside, three powerful regional confederations – Europe’s UEFA, North and Central America’s CONCACAF and Asia’s AFC – accused Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” and placing himself “above the collective that entrusted him with authority.”

The open letter argued that leadership in football “is not a possession” and condemned what it described as a lack of accountability and transparency at FIFA under Infantino. It said recent internal meetings, limited to a “select number” of senior officials, merely reinforced a pattern of closed-door decision-making.

Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss administrator who has led FIFA for a decade, had appeared on course to secure a fourth and final term as president at the FIFA Congress in 2027. His position was strengthened by a lucrative, expanded World Cup staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and by public backing from the Confederation of African Football and broad support in South America.

However, the investment plan has fractured that consensus. UEFA’s threat to boycott future World Cups if the proposal went ahead was pivotal in forcing Infantino to retreat. The European body branded the scheme “a shabby, opaque, backroom deal” and has since accused him of a “failure of judgment.”

Despite the turmoil, Infantino retains support from several national associations, including Mexico, Kuwait and Qatar. Ultimately, it will be FIFA’s 211 member associations, not the confederations, that decide his fate when they vote on the presidency.