Andrew Giuliani, a former aide to US President Donald Trump, has strongly defended FIFA president Gianni Infantino and warned that anyone considering voting against his re-election would be making “one of the most foolish decisions of their career”.
Giuliani, who previously served as chief executive of the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, worked closely with Infantino before and during this summer’s tournament. He spoke out as controversy continued over the cancellation of FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative.
In comments reported by the US edition of The Independent, Giuliani said criticism of Infantino was being driven by jealousy and political motives.
“It’s politics. I’ve seen this before when they targeted President Trump from a political perspective,” Giuliani said.
“People get jealous when other people achieve great things. What Gianni Infantino has done for FIFA is take it to a completely different level that they did not think was possible.”
Giuliani also emphasised the importance of the 2026 World Cup, describing it as the first tournament secured during Infantino’s presidency that reflected the FIFA president’s own vision.
“You have to remember that this is the first World Cup that Gianni Infantino has successfully won the hosting of during his presidency,” he said.
“He inherited the World Cups in Russia and Qatar and did a good job managing them, but this is the first one. It is his own vision.”
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to be staged across three countries, although Giuliani’s comments focused on Infantino’s role in securing the event and overseeing FIFA’s recent operations.
Giuliani issued a direct warning to national and continental federation presidents who might be considering opposing Infantino.
“What I would say is that any federation president who is thinking about not voting for Gianni Infantino would be making one of the most foolish decisions of his career,” he said.
He praised the organisation and financial performance of the most recent World Cup, adding: “This man just organised the biggest global sporting event ever without any incidents, and generated more than four times the revenue of the last World Cup.”
“You are thinking about removing him. If Gianni is not re-elected unanimously, then everyone who voted against him needs a mental examination,” Giuliani added.
Giuliani also mocked the situation by suggesting that FIFA could require a “FIFA rescue act”, a reference to the “America rescue act” previously proposed by Trump.
Like Trump, Giuliani said he had not known about the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal before it was reported by the media. He urged Infantino’s critics to pause and assess the FIFA president’s full record rather than focus on one disputed initiative.
Giuliani said he had spoken to Infantino since the controversy began and believed the FIFA president had a strong plan for the coming months, extending through to March next year, as he seeks to secure another term in office.
Addressing the disputed proposal, Giuliani said: “We are all human, and I believe Gianni recently made his statement about this issue, but I see this as one of those things people noticed, where sport has become a subject of profit and commercialisation.”
He concluded by calling for Infantino’s wider achievements to be taken into account.
“You have to look at the entirety of Gianni’s achievements and recognise that he is always trying to improve his organisation,” Giuliani said.
“Just because you are always seeking to improve does not mean you will not make a mistake here or there. As a human being, that can happen. But I look at the entirety of his achievements and say: this is the person I want in charge.”
