Free Republic

President Donald Trump leapt to the defense of FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Monday, as the head of world soccer’s governing body faces pressure to resign following a failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post late on Monday that FIFA would be “making a terrible mistake” if member associations move to replace Infantino. Should he depart, Trump said that the tournament “will never be as successful or profitable again!” Infantino was the driving force behind FIFA’s most recent commercialization push, which culminated in the largest, most profitable World...

European soccer’s governing body UEFA declared it has lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino, piling pressure on the beleaguered sporting chief despite the organization dropping a hugely controversial plan to sell private stakes in the World Cup and other top tournaments. In a blistering statement released Saturday morning, UEFA welcomed the decision by FIFA to withdraw its plan but laid bare its unhappiness with Infantino. “We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game,” the statement said. “We must identify those responsible...

Rabbi Marvin Hier has known Charles and Seryl Kushner — Jared Kushner’s parents and Donald Trump’s in-laws — for decades. The Hiers and the Kushners have gone to the same kosher for Passover resort, the Arizona Biltmore, over the years. The Kushner family, prominent real estate developers, have also been generous donors to the Simon Wiesenthal Center founded by Hier, for which he now serves as dean. But the Los Angeles-based Hier said he was shocked three weeks ago when a Trump aide invited him to offer a prayer at the presidential inauguration. The 77-year-old rabbi said he accepted immediately...