Trump 'wants to nominate FIFA boss Infantino for UN secretary-general' following World Cup
The US President insisted the football chief is 'respected by everyone around the world’.
Donald Trump wants to nominate Fifa boss Gianni Infantino for the role of UN secretary-general, according to sources, just days after the World Cup wrapped up.
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Trump has already declared the 2026 men's World Cup “the most spectacular by far”, with Trump now set on wangling Infantino another top job - this time as UN secretary-general.
Despite Infantino making his intention to run for another term as Fifa president explicitly clear, Trump has reportedly told insiders that the Swiss-Italian is his pick for the role.
Trump believes the Fifa chief “is respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together,” a source close to the President told The New York Post.
Infantino, 56, grew close to Trump over the course of organisational commitments ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the pair's relationship dating back to 2018.
It's a relationship that was also spotlighted later in the tournament, after Trump admitted to calling Infantino in a bid to overturn USA player Folarin Balogun's red card.
Read more: Trump must hand over financial records in BBC lawsuit, court rules
The decision not to uphold the automatic ban caused widespread outrage, with Fifa's shock decision described as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable" by Uefa.
It comes after António Guterres, current UN secretary-general, announced his resignation from the role, with the Portuguese official set to step aside in December.
The next secretary-general is set to be elected later this year.
The insider suggests Mr Trump has already made his intentions clear. It comes after Mr Infantino was seen to award Trump with the first Fifa Peace Prize after the US President failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
The news comes amid widespread speculation surrounding Infantino and Trump's controversial working relationship.
The Fifa boss attended Mr Trump’s Board of Peace meeting at the beginning of this year - a meeting that saw him pledge a new stadium, Fifa academy and numerous new football pitches in Gaza as part of a $7bn package.
It comes after human-rights organisation Fair Square revealed it had filed an official complaint with Fifa’s ethics committee, as well as with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) of which Infantino is a member.
The Fifa filing accuses Infantino of repeated breaches of the governing body’s code, namely political neutrality.