Infantino seeks Trump administration lifeline as revolt grows

The Post reported Sunday that Infantino has scheduled private talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio for Monday morning, a move sources say is aimed at shoring up his crumbling leadership rather than any genuine discussion about football diplomacy.

The Swiss-Italian administrator, 56, is facing the gravest crisis of his tenure after his secret scheme to sell off FIFA's commercial assets to a private equity firm run by Josh Kushner collapsed spectacularly on Friday. Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

According to the New York Post, Infantino will hold a call with Rubio just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. "He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America," one insider briefed on the matter told the Post. "But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point."

A second source told the New York paper that Infantino felt "isolated" by the avalanche of negative media coverage and "is looking for allies of note to publicly support him."

The Post also revealed that Infantino has repeatedly tried and failed to reach President Trump, 80, by phone since his commercial sell-off plan disintegrated.

The abandoned proposal would have seen the creation of a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, with Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital taking a 20 percent stake for just over US$4 billion. The deal would have handed control of broadcasting, sponsorship, licensing and ticketing rights to the private venture.

When news of the secret negotiations first broke in The Times of London, it triggered near-universal uproar from football federations worldwide. Kevin Lamour, FIFA's chief operating officer, told the Associated Press on Friday that he felt "deceived" by Infantino's actions, saying he was completely unaware of the talks.

The fallout has now sparked an open revolt within the Zurich-based nonprofit, the New York Post reported. One FIFA executive told the publication that officials are mobilising to force Infantino from office under a movement nicknamed "Project Kill The Monster”.

Compounding the crisis, UEFA — European football's governing body — voted unanimously on July 30 to boycott all FIFA-organised competitions, including the 2030 men's World Cup set to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The unprecedented decision raises the spectre of host nations boycotting their own tournament and a World Cup devoid of global superstars such as Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.

The New York Post noted that it has sought comment from both FIFA and the US State Department regarding the scheduled Rubio call.

For Infantino, the Monday morning conversation with America's top diplomat may represent his last, best hope of clinging to power as the beautiful game's ugliest political crisis deepens.