US Soccer Federation vice-president Nathán Goldberg Crenier has publicly condemned Fifa president Gianni Infantino for his close relationship with Donald Trump, arguing that it has damaged the integrity of football worldwide. In a strongly worded editorial, Crenier accused Infantino of making a “Faustian bargain” with the US president, which has entangled the sport in divisive politics and undermined its credibility.
Infantino’s pursuit of influence backfires
Since the United States won the rights to co-host the 2026 World Cup, Infantino has sought to ingratiate himself with Trump, supposedly to secure preferential treatment for Fifa from the US government. However, Crenier argues that this strategy has backfired, tarnishing the sport. “He learned that cozying up to Trump always backfires,” Crenier wrote, noting that Infantino’s actions have harmed football’s reputation.
Crenier highlighted several incidents, including Infantino’s creation of a “peace prize” specifically for Trump in 2024. Within months of receiving the award, Trump initiated regime change in Venezuela, threatened armed conflict against Nato allies, and launched an unlawful war with Iran, leading to uncertainty about Iran’s World Cup participation and the relocation of their base camp to Mexico. “No amount of revenue will ever erase the moral stain of blessing Trump’s wars in the name of soccer,” Crenier stated.
Meddling in disciplinary processes
The most recent controversy involved Trump’s intervention in the disciplinary review of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension. Crenier noted that while US Soccer benefited from having a star player back, the incident “tainted by accusations of favoritism at best and corruption at worst,” unfairly clouding US Soccer’s credibility worldwide. He added that Infantino plans to reward Trump with the honor of handing out the World Cup trophy on Sunday.
According to Crenier, Infantino has repeatedly crossed the line between professionalism and groveling. Beyond frequent White House appearances, Infantino allowed his proximity to Trump to overshadow Chelsea’s championship moment at the Club World Cup and interfere with the agenda at last year’s Fifa Congress. He also rented office space in Trump Tower despite operating a permanent Fifa office in Miami, channeling Fifa’s wealth to Trump’s pocket.
Criticism from within football
Crenier is not alone in his criticism. Uefa has called Infantino’s behavior a pursuit of “private political interests” that “does the game no service.” The former chair of Fifa’s governance committee described it as a “clear violation” of Fifa’s code of ethics. Senior staff at Fifa have pushed back on Infantino’s pandering, and a Fifa vice-president rebuked Trump’s politically motivated threats against certain host cities. The president of the Norwegian Football Federation called for the abolition of the “peace prize” and supported an ethics investigation against Infantino.
Despite sizable public backing for Infantino’s reelection, many Fifa members privately vent their frustration about his “level of vanity” to reporters. Uefa may even be looking for a candidate to challenge him in the next election.
Call for structural reforms
Crenier urged football federations worldwide to oppose Infantino’s vision and pursue structural governance reforms that shift power away from the Fifa president toward the Council, Congress, and Secretary General. “No single individual can ever act unilaterally to soccer’s detriment again,” he wrote. He expressed hope that the World Cup’s greatest legacy might be spurring the football community to defend the values that make soccer the people’s game.
