FIFA has dismissed reports that its president, Gianni Infantino, sought meetings or support from United States President Donald Trump following the collapse of a proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup.
The denial follows a report by the New York Post, which claimed Infantino repeatedly attempted to contact Trump after abandoning the proposal and had become increasingly isolated amid growing criticism over the failed plan.
Read Also: Infantino seeks Trump backing as FIFA leadership crisis deepens
FIFA rejects claims
In a statement to Reuters on Tuesday, FIFA categorically denied the report, insisting that Infantino had made no contact with the U.S. president or his administration.
“The FIFA President has not made any call to the U.S. President, or any members of his administration in recent days. It is pure fiction,” FIFA said.
The governing body’s response comes as Infantino faces mounting scrutiny over the collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.
Read Also: FIFA crisis deepens as Infantino meets senior staff over failed FFE plan
FFE plan sparked global backlash
Criticism of the FIFA president intensified after he was forced to abandon plans to spin off FIFA’s commercial and event operations into a new entity backed by private investors.
The proposal aimed to raise $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 percent stake in a company that would manage the commercial rights of FIFA’s flagship competitions, including the FIFA World Cup.
Pressure mounts on Infantino
The…
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Read Full Article by Anthony Nlebem at businessday.ng
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