U.S. Soccer VP says FIFA president Gianni Infantino is 'tarnishing the entire sport' to win Donald Trump's favor
Nathán Goldberg Crenier, vice president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, has publicly criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino for developing a cozy relationship with United States President Donald Trump.
Crenier argues that the "egotistical and transactional" direction of Infantino's leadership threatens "the soul of the sport." He points to Infantino's attempts to "ingratiate himself with Donald Trump at all costs" in an effort to win favor from the U.S. government during his presidency.
One recent example Crenier cites is FIFA's decision to suspend the red card issued to USMNT player Folarin Balogun. Balogun was issued the red card during the Stars and Stripes' match versus Bosnia-Herzegovina for stepping on the ankle of Tarek Muharemovic. However, many observers felt Balogun's foul was accidental and shouldn't have been penalized so harshly.
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The situation became a political controversy that the USMNT striker said created "a lot of outside noise" that became a significant distraction. Crenier believes that "the biggest casualty was soccer's integrity."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarded Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. without the approval of the FIFA Council. Some members of the council said they were not consulted in the creation of the prize, let alone the decision to award it to Trump.
Infantino also plans to have Trump present the World Cup trophy to the 2026 champions, a move that Crenier calls a demonstration of "debasing our sport again and again." Crenier's op-ed ended with him saying he was encouraged by others in the sports speaking out against Infantino's actions and ethics.
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UEFA, European soccer's governing body, criticized the FIFA president in May for putting "private political interests" over the sport's best interests. The federation may even pursue candidates to replace Infantino, talkSPORT reported.
Infantino has not commented on Crenier's criticism. The situation has sparked a heated debate within the soccer community, with some defending Infantino's actions and others calling for greater transparency and accountability within FIFA.
Source: Yahoo Sports