President Donald Trump is reportedly backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations following the successful staging of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. According to a report by Independent UK, Trump believes Infantino has the global respect and leadership qualities required for the role……
President Donald Trump is reportedly backing FIFA President Gianni Infantino to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations following the successful staging of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
According to a report by Independent UK, Trump believes Infantino has the global respect and leadership qualities required for the role as current UN Secretary-General António Guterres prepares to step down in December.
A White House insider told the New York Post that the US president believes Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together.”
Infantino, a 56-year-old Swiss lawyer, has already indicated his intention to seek a third term as FIFA president and has not publicly responded to Trump’s reported endorsement.
For Infantino to become UN Secretary-General, he would need the backing of the UN Security Council before securing approval from the General Assembly.
Trump’s Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, Paolo Zampolli, praised the proposal, saying: “only President Trump could have such a genius idea” as nominating Infantino for the top UN position.
Zampolli added that Infantino “would do a great job” and described him as “liked by everybody,” suggesting he could replicate his leadership of world football on the global diplomatic stage.
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Drawing comparisons between the two positions, Zampolli said: “At the United Nations, you have to deal with 193 member states. In FIFA, there are over 200 members [and] Gianni’s great record shows he knows how to manage.”
However, Infantino is expected to face stiff competition should he pursue the role, with potential contenders reportedly including former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi of Argentina.
The move would also come with a significant reduction in earnings, as Infantino’s reported annual FIFA salary of about $6 million is far higher than the UN Secretary-General’s salary of about $418,000.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the United Nations over what he describes as its inability to resolve global conflicts and has withdrawn the United States from several UN-affiliated bodies, including the World Health Organization, the Human Rights Council and UNESCO.
The US president developed a close relationship with Infantino during preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Following Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final, Trump joined Infantino on the podium to present medals and the trophy to the Spanish team.
Infantino’s stewardship of the tournament, however, attracted criticism over the competition’s expansion to 48 teams, high ticket prices and other organisational issues.
The FIFA president also came under renewed scrutiny after football’s governing body overturned the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun following reported pressure from Trump, a decision that generated widespread debate over FIFA’s disciplinary process.
