US President Donald Trump has backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino amid mounting pressure on the football governing body’s leader over allegations of a workplace affair and criticism of a failed private investment scheme.

“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump described the Italian-Swiss lawyer as “fantastic” and praised his leadership of the 2026 World Cup, saying Infantino “presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented”.

“If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again!” Trump added.

Trump’s backing of Infantino contrasts with the position taken by US Soccer, which issued a statement criticising the FIFA president alongside Canada Soccer and football organisations in Central America and the Caribbean.

Infantino, who is due to seek re-election next March, has denied any wrongdoing. FIFA has also defended its president, describing the backlash against him as “a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine” the organisation.

Other football governing bodies, including the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South American governing body CONMEBOL, have also backed Infantino.

The controversy centres partly on a shelved FIFA proposal to open the organisation to private investment through a new commercial subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). FIFA said the plan could raise up to $4.2 billion, based on a valuation of $20 billion for the subsidiary.

Under the proposal, FFE would have been responsible for running major events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

Infantino came under increasing pressure, including from within FIFA, over his handling of the proposal, while calls for him to step down intensified after he abandoned the plan.

Infantino received the “full support” of FIFA’s senior directors last Wednesday, after the world football governing body apologised for the controversy surrounding the now-shelved proposal to open the World Cup to private investment.

Facing a barrage of criticism following the collapse of the plan, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged that “errors” had been made, while continuing to support Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged “that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media”.

The organisation said that, if approved, the project could have provided each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027. It would also have increased their funding allocation for the 2027–2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.

Rather than serving as an incentive, however, the proposal triggered a furious backlash, with European football’s governing body, UEFA, resorting on Thursday to the drastic measure of threatening to boycott the World Cup.

Two weeks ago, Infantino accepted responsibility and withdrew the plan.

“Our purpose has always been — and will always be — to unite and improve,” Infantino said.