January 20 – On Monday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the USA in Washington DC, the soccer boss confirmed on his Instagram web page.
Infantino, posing on social media with thumbs up and a crimson tie, stated that he’s within the US capital to witness Trump’s second inauguration – because the forty seventh president of the USA – saying Trump has been “very supportive of FIFA”.
The USA will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. This summer season, the Individuals welcome FIFA’s expanded 32-team Membership World Cup.
The earlier US administration led by Joe Biden froze Infantino out of the White Home, however Infantino, who now lives together with his household in Miami, is keener than ever to return.
Within the lead-up to Trump’s inauguration, Infantino additionally visited the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago. On the reopening of the Notre Dame in December, Infantino additionally met with Trump and Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet who will serve in Trump’s administration. Musk is understood for his far-right opinions and for spreading misinformation by way of his social media platform X.
Infantino and Trump have lengthy maintained a relationship. On the draw of the Membership World Cup final 12 months, Trump complimented Infantino in a prerecorded handle: “I’ll attempt to be there if I can, I might. We’ll see what occurs. However I simply wish to say you’re led by a person named Gianni. I simply know him as Gianni and he’s a winner and he’s the president, and I’m the president. And we’ve identified one another a very long time, and I’m so honored to have this sort of a relationship as a result of soccer goes by means of the roof. As all people is aware of, it’s been doing fantastically properly.”
Throughout his first presidency, Trump invited Infantino to the White Home varied occasions. In addition they shared the stage on the World Financial Discussion board in Davos in 2020. Infantino was one of many first sporting officers to congratulate Trump on his re-election – hours earlier than the end result was confirmed. Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Soccer and a mining magnate, can also be in DC.
The present FIFA boss has a liking for authoritarian heads of state. Vladimir Putin awarded him with the Order of Friendship medal and he’s incessantly seen by the aspect of Mohammed Bin Salman, the autocratic chief of Saudi Arabia.
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