Donald Trump has reportedly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations.
The current holder of the UN’s highest office is Antonio Guterres, who will depart the role in December. The latest reward for Infantino’s apparently bottomless appetite for Trump’s approval is his recommendation for the role.
Infantino has been criticised for his friendship with Trump, not only because of his politics but because of its limiting effect on FIFA’s ability to act with any authority on the United States of America’s serial breaches of the agreed expectations of a World Cup host.
Trump helped Infantino tear the fabric of the World Cup and now it’s time for a reward
World Cup 2026 was played primarily in the United States in June and July but there were repeated instances of controversy.
Iran’s ability to compete on a level playing field was destroyed by FIFA’s inaction against United States policy overruling World Cup rules.
Somali referee Omer Artan was robbed of his World Cup dream, turned away at the border and sent home. Because of Infantino’s alliance with Trump, FIFA was powerless to stop it and shameful in its silence.
During the tournament itself, the suspension of the automatic ban that should have been imposed on in-form United States striker Folarin Balogun as a result of his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was widely reviled.
So poor is the impression of Infantino under Trump’s thumb that it really doesn’t matter whether the US president’s boast about making a call to Infantino to kill the ban was truth or bluster. It was believable either way and that’s a problem.
Now, the man upon whom the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize was bestowed months before a war reportedly wants to return the favour by calling for Infantino to be given the top job in the UN.
“Mr Infantino would need to be endorsed by the UN Security Council and receive confirmation from the General Assembly to become the next secretary-general,” reports Lily Shanagher for The Telegraph.
“Sources said he could secure multiple nominations alongside Mr Trump’s. It was unclear whether Mr Infantino wanted the job or whether Mr Trump had broached the topic with him.”
The embarrassing nature of Infantino’s clinging to Trump is overshadowed by the very real prospect of the president of FIFA, and therefore FIFA itself and football by extension, being implicated in Trump’s political manoeuvres.
By apparently naming him as a preferred candidate for the UN, Trump is leveraging his influence over Infantino – the man who is supposed to represent football’s interests globally – in a purely political realm.
“Mr Trump has frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with the UN, accusing it of contributing to ‘uncontrolled migration’ and ‘sabotage’ while cutting funding and mandatory payments to the board.”
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the very fact that Infantino’s name has been mooted in that context is evidence that his friendship with Trump is problematic and directly contravenes FIFA’s stated values.
