All posts tagged: Gianni

FIFA lashes out at reports of Gianni Infantino reaching out to Donald Trump to save his job: ‘Pure fiction’

FIFA lashes out at reports of Gianni Infantino reaching out to Donald Trump to save his job: ‘Pure fiction’

Published by Parlour News

FIFA rubbished reports that Gianni Infantino had reached out to US President Donald Trump to save himself from the blushes and keep the top job at the apex football body. The FIFA President has been under fire of late, and UEFA has already confirmed that it has lost trust in Infantino. A lot was made about Infantino after the body reversed the red card given to US player Folarin Balogun at the request of Trump. FIFA cleared the air on the reports of Gianni Infantino reaching out to Donald Trump. (REUTERS) Recently, Infantino faced the wrath of UEFA, CONMEBOL and AFC after he revealed his plan to sell a minority stake in the World Cup‘s commercial rights. The growing opposition to the plan eventually led FIFA to call it off. However, Infantino’s job is now under threat as many voices are calling for the body to have a new chief. Amid the growing opposition to Infantino, a Times report claimed that Infantino repeatedly tried to contact Trump after the commercial rights plan collapsed. The report …

Is Gianni Infantino’s leaked letter to Argentina FA real? Here’s what FIFA president wrote after World Cup final

Is Gianni Infantino’s leaked letter to Argentina FA real? Here’s what FIFA president wrote after World Cup final

Published by Parlour News

Gianni Infantino’s private letter to the Argentine Football Association has sparked fresh debate after it was leaked just days after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The FIFA president congratulated Argentina on finishing runners-up and praised the team’s “professionalism” even though FIFA is investigating the squad over its behaviour after the defeat to Spain. Is Gianni Infantino’s leaked letter to Argentina real? Here’s what he wrote. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (AFP) The letter, first leaked by Argentine media and then confirmed by the Daily Mail has drawn attention because of the warm tone used despite the disciplinary case hanging over Lionel Messi’s side. Gianni Infantino’s letter to Argentina The letter was addressed to Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia after Argentina finished second at the World Cup. Infantino wrote: “Dear Mr. President, Yesterday, Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the magnificent New York New Jersey Stadium, Argentina won the silver medal of the FIFA World Cup 2026, after an exciting final against Spain. “I would like to reiterate my most sincere congratulations for this …

Donald Trump reminds fans how his Gianni Infantino talk led to Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card reversal

Donald Trump reminds fans how his Gianni Infantino talk led to Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card reversal

Published by Parlour News

Donald Trump hailed FIFA President Gianni Infantino for helping to lift US player Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, a decision that drew criticism from football fans. Balogun received a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina; a decision would see him miss out on his side’s Round of 16 game against Belgium. President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino speak at a FIFA reception event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) But the US President reached out to Infantino, asking to review the decision. FIFA overturned the suspension, allowing Balongun to participate in the match. Even though the Belgian FA and UEFA protested the decision, Balogun was allowed to play, but couldn’t prevent a defeat for the US. Also Read: Donald Trump’s FIFA task force chief defends Argentina after Falklands controversy erupts ‘It’s so much better the way it worked out’: Donald Trump At a FIFA reception event in New York, Trump praised Infantino while standing next to him. “Gianni made yet another of his many good decisions,” he said. Trump claimed that FIFA made the right decision, …

Gianni Infantino backs hydration breaks in World Cup: ‘Purely a sporting matter’

Gianni Infantino backs hydration breaks in World Cup: ‘Purely a sporting matter’

Published by Webster

3 min readJun 24, 2026 07:15 PM IST FIFA President Gianni Infantino has voiced his support for the hydration breaks at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup, even as managers and supporters continue to express displeasure at the stoppages during matches. Infantino said that football’s governing body were not making revenue from these breaks and they were meant only for sporting reasons. “There is no additional revenue for FIFA, as all commercial agreements were signed well in advance. ‌So, this is not ‌a financial issue for us. For us, it is purely a sporting matter,” Infantino said in ‌a statement on Wednesday. He further added that the hot weather prevailing in North America was the main reason behind introducing the stoppages, and it was important to follow the same rules in all games of the tournament. “The main reason is the heat, but we also have to understand that in a competition like the World Cup, played over 39 days, with teams potentially playing eight matches in those 39 days, having a moment to rest …

FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, Trump’s favourite sport administrator

FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, Trump’s favourite sport administrator

Published by Webster

In May 2015, as dawn broke over Zurich, plain-clothed FBI agents moved through the corridors of the luxurious Baur au Lac hotel. Curtains were drawn to shield embarrassed football officials from television cameras as they were escorted out. The images travelled around the world: FIFA, football’s untouchable empire, finally under siege. The arrests marked the beginning of the end for the old order. Sepp Blatter would soon be gone. Michel Platini’s succession plans would collapse. FIFA, battered by corruption scandals and criminal investigations, needed a new face. When those curtains were eventually pulled back, another figure emerged from the wreckage: Gianni Infantino. The Swiss lawyer – with a perfectly round bald head – whom most football fans recognised only as the man standing on stage during UEFA Champions League draws, reaching into glass bowls to pull out little balls containing team names. A functionary and master of ceremonies was nobody’s idea of the most powerful man in world sport. But a decade later, Infantino has become precisely that. He is close enough to US President …

Gianni Infantino’s attempt at Israel-Palestine handshake backfires in tense exchange | Football News

Gianni Infantino’s attempt at Israel-Palestine handshake backfires in tense exchange | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 1, 2026 11:32 AM IST At the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s move to get Israel and Palestine football officials on stage together led to a tense moment when Palestine Football Association President Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of Israel’s national football governing body. Both Rajoub and Suliman addressed the FIFA Congress on Thursday night at the Vancouver Convention Center. Then Infantino tried to orchestrate a handshake between the two functionaries, which was refused by the Palestinian delegate who moved away from Suliman. A report of the incident on The Associated Press noted that both men stood far apart from each other and Rajoub protested loudly away from microphones before leaving the stage. Rajoub seemed to be making a speech from the stage off the mic when Infantino edged closer to him. Rajoub embraced Infantino before walking off. After the two men got off the stage, Infantino thanked them for addressing the delegates and made an appeal. “President Rajoub, Vice President …

Iran football team coming to USA ‘for sure’ to play in World Cup, says FIFA President Gianni Infantino | Football News

Iran football team coming to USA ‘for sure’ to play in World Cup, says FIFA President Gianni Infantino | Football News

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 16, 2026 11:27 AM IST Iran and the USA may not yet be close to a peace deal but FIFA President Gianni Infantino is convinced that the Iranian football team will be travelling to the USA in a couple of months to play in the FIFA World Cup that the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. Infantino has said that Iran will “for sure” play in the World Cup, despite the war between Iran and the USA since Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike in Tehran on February 28. Iran are scheduled to play two of their group-stage games in California’s Inglewood with their third game to be played in Seattle. “The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want …

Iran football team coming to USA ‘for sure’ to play in World Cup, says FIFA President Gianni Infantino | Football News

IOC to ‘look into’ Gianni Infantino’s political neutrality after FIFA chief attends Donald Trump peace board event | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readFeb 21, 2026 05:41 PM IST FIFA president Gianni Infantino is under the scanner for taking part in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace launch. The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Kirsty Coventry has said that the Olympic body will “look into” Infantino’s conduct. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO Coventry, in her role as the IOC President, and Infantino, as a member of the IOC, are bound by an oath “to always act independently of … political interests.” “The Olympic Charter is very clear on what it expects of its members and we will go and research into the alleged signing of documents, I guess,” Coventry said on Friday at her final news conference at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, adding she had been unaware of Infantino being “front and center” at the board of peace event. “Now that you guys have made us aware of it,” she said after a second question on the subject, “we will go back and we’ll have a look into it.” The IOC’s membership, which …

2026 FIFA World Cup: ‘For the first time in history also, no Brit was arrested’: FIFA president Gianni Infantino takes a jibe over British fans amid tickets row | Football News

2026 FIFA World Cup: ‘For the first time in history also, no Brit was arrested’: FIFA president Gianni Infantino takes a jibe over British fans amid tickets row | Football News

Published by Webster

The run-up to this year’s FIFA World Cup has seen the world body being criticised by fans as well as fan groups over the high prices for the tickets for the marquee event. While fans groups from Great Britain have been vocal about the high pricing of the World Cup tickets, FIFA president Gianni Infantino made a jibe at British football fans amid defending the high ticket prices for the World Cup. While Infantino spoke about how the last World Cup in Qatar was the first World Cup, where no British fans were arrested, a factually incorrect statement, the FIFA president also shared how the last World Cup saw no incidents once the tournament started. “When the ball started rolling and the magic started we had virtually no incidents. For the first time in history also, no Brit was arrested during a World Cup. Imagine! This is something really, really special. So it was a celebration, it was a party, and the next one in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be exactly the …

Ronaldo’s White House selfie featuring Elon Musk, Gianni Infantino goes viral: ‘Trillion dollars in one pic’

Ronaldo’s White House selfie featuring Elon Musk, Gianni Infantino goes viral: ‘Trillion dollars in one pic’

Published by Parlour News

A selfie clicked by football icon Cristiano Ronaldo inside the White House has taken the internet by storm, thanks to its rare gathering of some of the world’s most powerful, wealthy and influential people in a single frame. South African entrepreneur David Sacks shared the selfie on X, with the caption, “Great night!”(X/@DavidSacks) Ronaldo was among the high-profile guests invited to the White House on Tuesday evening (US time) for US President Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner honouring Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The event drew global leaders, from tech moguls and top executives to sports stars. Following the event, South African entrepreneur David Sacks shared the now-viral selfie on X, with the caption, “Great night!” In the picture, Ronaldo is seen alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick and his wife Allison, as well as Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez. The combination of sports royalty, Silicon Valley powerhouses and billionaires quickly sent social media into a frenzy. Take a look below: Netizens compare it to the ‘Oscars selfie’ …