Posted on 08/03/2026 8:28:16 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants the Trump administration to help keep him in office and has scheduled private talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio Monday amid growing pressure to resign over his scheme to sell off the World Cup to Josh Kushner’s private equity firm, The Post has learned.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed Infantino will hold a call with America’s top diplomat just after 9 a.m. ET.
“He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” said one insider briefed on the matter. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”
A second source said the Swiss-Italian sports suit felt “isolated” by the avalanche of negative media coverage.
“He is looking for allies of note to publicly support him,” this person said.
The State Department denied the call was taking place.
“There are no plans for @SecRubio to speak with Infantino and there is no call this morning,” a spokesman wrote on X.
The Post has sought comment from FIFA.
Sources also say that Infantino, 56, has repeatedly tried and failed to reach Trump, 80, by phone since his plan to sell off the game’s commercial assets to private investors collapsed on Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Who is “Josh” Kushner?
Younger brother of Jared Kushner.
“Joshua Kushner is an American venture capitalist and the founder and managing partner of Thrive Capital, a firm managing approximately $25 billion in assets as of 2026. Born on June 12, 1985, he is the younger brother of Jared Kushner and the son of real estate developer Charles Kushner.”
Leo AI, in the Brave browser
Negative media coverage for conducting the most profitable FIFA ever? I hope it’s not politics. Politics and Sports do not mix.
Not an American government issue. And they never should have put him in the job in the first place. Just because he avoided jail time when Sepp’s reign imploded, he was still named in multiple investigations, they just didn’t have enough to convict. He should do the honorable thing, convert Sepp’s ban to life, and resign.
TDS—he was friendly towards Trump....can’t do that in front of the Europeans.
Thanks. I thought maybe a typo of “Jared.” Didn’t know he had a younger brother.
He should be fired for those hydration breaks.
Normally, no.
But think of it like this "Nationalists vs Globalists".
No. For putting together a deal to sell the World Cup for fat cash, a lot of which would have probably wound up in his pocket, and just generally being a corrupt SOB.
ALWAYS no. It’s an international sports body, not our circus, not our monkeys.
But it is an issue that Gianni Infantino is seen as a Trump "ally".
Until Trump got involved lol (it's a good thing).
No the problem is that he thought SELLING THE WORLD CUP was a good idea. And put this whole deal together without engaging the board. Selling the World Cup to private equity is a stupid idea.
The only “good thing” about it is that everybody on the FIFA knows it’s none of Trump’s business and will ignore him completely.
When I settle any questions that come up in my own mind, I figure why not just post the answer here as well ✌️
Not familiar with soccer er ah football etiquette
They would have reacted differently if Trump didn't "host" the World Cup this summer.
Or they would have rejected the proposal and not make a big deal out of it, if in this particular scenario Joe Biden was still the POTUS.
Gianni Infantino is seen as a Trump "lackey" so the Europeans will replace him as the Head of FIFA.
I agree with you. The old British Empire had to be involved in everything, all the time. It’s one reason why that empire collapsed.
Getting involved in this soccer controversy is no big deal. Nevertheless, it’s not a healthy thing to do. It leads to arrogance. Sort of like that one family member who must give her opinion on everything.
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