Donald Trump has denied discussing FIFA’s plans to sell World Cup investment stakes with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, despite growing scrutiny over their seemingly close relationship.

Speaking to reporters at Camp David on Friday, Trump said the topic had not come up between the pair, even as FIFA’s proposals continue to incite fury across world football.

The denial comes at a sensitive moment for both men, whose relationship has developed closely since the 2026 World Cup, and follows a period in which Infantino gifted Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.

With UEFA threatening a boycott and several other confederations voicing serious concerns, the timing of Trump’s comments has done little to quiet speculation over his own level of involvement.

What FIFA is Proposing and why it’s Causing a Boycott Threat

REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

FIFA confirmed plans this week to launch a new $20 billion subsidiary to oversee the World Cup and its other competitions, offering up to 20% of shares to outside investors. The investment group is reportedly being led by a fund that was founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The backlash has been swift and significant. UEFA has said its national teams will refuse to take part in any FIFA competition unless the plans are dropped entirely, with assurances that private ownership will never again be considered. CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation have also come out against the proposals, with the AFC saying trust in FIFA’s leadership has been damaged. Reports suggest as many as 143 countries, including England, France, Germany, Italy and the latest world champions, Spain, now back some form of boycott.

Internally, things look just as shaky for Infantino. Long-time adviser Carlos Cordeiro has resigned in protest, and FIFA’s own chief operating officer has accused Infantino of misleading staff over his true intentions. Infantino has defended the plan, insisting it’s designed to grow the game’s revenues and benefit member associations rather than hand over control of the sport.

A vote on the proposals is set for the 19th of September, though with three major confederations now opposed, Infantino appears to be running out of support and a vote may only make for embarrassing reading.

FIFA Eyeing a 64-Team World Cup for 2030

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Alongside the investment row, FIFA looks to be pushing ahead with plans to expand the World Cup even further. A leaked internal document shows FIFA wants to appoint an independent agency to examine increasing the tournament from 48 to 64 teams in time for 2030, despite this summer’s tournament being the first ever played with 48.

That 2030 edition will be a historic one regardless, co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain to mark the World Cup’s 100th anniversary, running for a record 44 days. Three centenary matches will also be staged in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, hosts of the original 1930 tournament, with all six nations automatically qualifying.

New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told GiveMeSport that FIFA is “moving in the wrong direction” under Gianni Infantino, speaking from Manchester in an exclusive interview.

GMS understands FIFA President Infantino is under serious pressure after proposals to part-privatise football’s governing body met backlash from both UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.

All 55 members of UEFA have agreed to boycott FIFA competitions unless Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plans are shelved. And one of Infantino’s senior advisors, Carlos Cordeiro, has quit over the proposed project.

Burnham didn’t hold back as he called Infantino the “wrong man for the job” when speaking to reporters. And in an exclusive chat with GiveMeSport’s Sam Cohen, the Prime Minister explained why he thinks FIFA needs new leadership.

“Just because of the direction FIFA has gone under his leadership and the plan to sell off the World Cup to investors really just cements the feeling that he’s not leading the organisation in the right direction and therefore not taking the game on the right path,” said Burnham.

“So it’s a feeling I’ve had for a while and it’s clearly not a sustainable situation. When UEFA and CONCACAF can’t have confidence, that is a large chunk of world football saying that this is not acceptable.

“I had some concerns about the 2022 World Cup, on the pitch and all the rest of it. It didn’t feel right. It hasn’t felt right. And after everything that FIFA have been through before, I was prepared to give his [Infantino’s] era the benefit of the doubt, and I did give it the benefit of the doubt until this point.”

Infantino Facing Pressure for his job

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Infantino has come under significant criticism for seeking $4.2bn in private capital, with Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital one of his main backers.

Many are drawing parallels with the ill-fated European Super League from 2021, since FFE could well launch and fold as quickly as that project. JP Morgan also back Infantino’s plans, and were the main funder behind the European Super League.

Infantino has stated the idea is “just an option not an obligation” and promised those who support it an instant $40m in funding. Yet it remains to be seen how that capital is raised if UEFA stick to their boycott of FIFA competitions should the project get off the ground.

GMS has learned Infantino faces a mutiny from some of his closest allies. Along with Cordeiro’s resignation, FIFA’s COO Kevin Lamour told AP he felt “deceived” by the FIFA president.

“To put it very clearly and directly: the project that has sparked so much controversy and debate is not a Fifa project,” Lamour said. “It is even less a project of Fifa’s administration. It is the project of one person.

“The FIFA vice-presidents, the members of the Fifa Council, the confederations, the federations, the players, the leagues, the clubs, and the fans were not the only ones who were ignored. Fifa’s own administration was also deceived…

“I know I have a duty of loyalty to my employer. But I also, and above all, have a duty of loyalty to certain values and to the upbringing I have received, and a duty to support my colleagues. And if that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”

GMS understands at least 20 FIFA Member Associations are considering revoking their written support for Infantino ahead of the next election in March, while there is growing support for PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to stand, even though those close to the Qatari executive insist he has “no ambition” to do so.

Burnham told GiveMeSport he would like to see a new FIFA President immediately, and one who thinks about football first.

“My perspective is that football needs to be protected from being completely overtaken by commercial interests,” he said.

“At the end of the day it is about the joy of the sport, using the power of football to redistribute as much as possible back to the grassroots of the sport. It feels as though people have forgotten that at the top of the game and they see it as yet another vehicle to make money. If football becomes that, and is only that, then it kills the thing that we’ve all grown up loving.”

Our exclusive sit-down with Prime Minister Andy Burnham will air next week across the GiveMeSport network, including online, YouTube and our flagship Market Madness podcast.