Even after Gianni Infantino extended his unbridled support to Donald Trump, the US president apparently has no objection to publicly throwing the FIFA president under the 18-wheeler.
Last week, Infantino assured the world that Trump would “welcome” Iran to the United States for the World Cup. A day later, Trump reiterated the message in a post on Truth Social before releasing it into the light of day.
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“Welcome the Iranian national soccer team to the World Cup,” Trump said, before adding his own unique definition of what it actually meant.
“But for their own lives and safety, I really don’t think it’s appropriate for them to be there.”
In return for praising, rewarding and nurturing Infantino, Trump created an unprecedented crisis that FIFA had to deal with just three months before the World Cup.
Not just Iran; With the entire Middle East in flames, FIFA must contend with another team that looks unlikely to qualify for this month’s World Cup play-offs.
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Even outside of the World Cup, Messi’s first big exhibition match against Lamine Yamal was completely canceled. Games in this area have been completely moved or classified. There are more postponements and cancellations to come.
Infantino recently learned what many others say about Trump: In his world, loyalty is a one-way street.
Despite the Swiss executive’s best efforts to keep Trump on side, there’s simply no way to limit one man’s impulses. Still, the past two months have been particularly comical.
In December last year, Infantino awarded Trump the Peace Prize. Three months later, the U.S. president forcibly deported Venezuela’s president, killing dozens, and then launched a war in the Middle East that killed thousands.
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Since receiving the FIFA Peace Prize, Trump’s guideline on foreign policy has been to do the opposite of everything the award is supposed to embody.
In a sense, Infantino’s embrace of Trump is logical.
The United States will host 78 of the upcoming World Cup’s 104 games, far more than Mexico and Canada. certainly FIFA benefits from a positive working relationship with the President of the United States.
But what’s going on between Trump and Infantino is clearly more than just a positive working relationship.
It’s one thing to attend Trump’s inauguration, visit the Oval Office a few times, or attend a meeting of the Trump Peace Commission.
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It’s another to don a “Make America Great Again” hat to said meeting, move the World Cup draw to Washington, D.C. at the 11th hour, open an office in Trump Tower or say “we should all support” the president’s political agenda.
According to its own statutes, FIFA is supposed to be a politically neutral organization. But Infantino’s actions shattered any reasonable notion that FIFA was adhering to its own rules.
What did FIFA gain from these efforts? It doesn’t look like much.
The Trump administration has made it easier for foreign visitors to get visa appointments more quickly and committed $625 million to security in host cities — though that plan is currently on hold due to the partial government shutdown.
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But this all appears to be a matter of standard host country cooperation, rather than any special arrangement made possible by FIFA’s close relationship with the U.S. government.
At the same time, the administration has been making the prospect of visiting the United States unnerving — especially for those who might oppose Trump administration policies.
Indeed, Infantino may not be able to do much to restrain Trump. After all, he’s just an athletic director. For decades, leaders of all stripes have tried and failed to keep Trump secret.
But in his unbridled hobnobbing with Trump, associating his organization and himself with a mercurial man, Infantino has put his own reputation and that of FIFA at risk. Currently, these efforts are backfiring.
This article originally appeared in USA Today: Trump’s threats to Iran embarrass FIFA president Infantino
