FIFA and Infantino draw bipartisan skepticism ahead of the World Cup
Leaders from both parties are pressing FIFA on ticket prices, transit costs and Gianni Infantino’s ties to President Donald Trump.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with President Donald Trump, even as U.S. leaders from both parties express widespread skepticism toward the governing body ahead of the World Cup.
- In a deeply polarized country, skepticism of Infantino and FIFA spans from Washington to city halls, with critics describing the organization as "detached from regular people" and "a cabal run by elites."
- Ticket prices have drawn bipartisan criticism: Zohran Mamdani of New York secured 1,000 tickets for New Yorkers at $50 per seat, while New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill demanded FIFA cover transit costs.
- Last week, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, stated that legal visitors have "nothing to worry about" as the administration suspends a $15,000 bond requirement.
- The tournament kicks off a series of events central to Trump's second term, including a UFC bout and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, aiming to burnish his legacy amid an intensely divided political climate.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Associated Press News
FIFA and Infantino draw bipartisan skepticism ahead of the World Cup
FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently addressed U.S. city leaders, joking about soccer "conquering" America as the World Cup approaches.
The FIFA World Cup is also a gift to Donald Trump. But his action against enemies around the world poses challenges to Gianni Infantino.
The president of FIFA and that of the United States no longer end up exchanging friendliness. Criticism rains on the boss of the world football.
FIFA and Gianni Infantino draw bipartisan skepticism ahead of the World Cup
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 8, 2026) — Dozens of mayors and other city leaders gathered in the ballroom of a Washington hotel on a snowy January morning this year gripped by anger and anxiety about the federal government’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement operation that included the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. And then FIFA President Gianni Infantino took the stage. “For the first time in 250 years of history of the U…
Money, power and public attention are the kit of US President Trump and FIFA boss Infantino, both of which are only about business, says ZDF reporter Nils Kaben.
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