The ‘King of Soccer’ went rogue and nearly lost his FIFA empire

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During the weekend of the World Cup final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino trumpeted how successful the tournament had been. Record revenue, record ticket sales, and record ratings.

But trust in Infantino at the highest levels of global soccer had been eroding for months, according to high-ranking officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. They had seen him belittle the FIFA members by turning up late to their annual Congress last year so he could spend longer traveling with President Trump. They had watched in amazement as Infantino invented a FIFA Peace Prize last fall, just to award it to the U.S. President. And they had been shocked during the World Cup when Infantino allowed an expedited disciplinary process to delay a suspension for an U.S. player after Trump asked him to review the call. It all came to a head with an ill-fated plan to spin off FIFA’s commercial operations and sell stakes to private investors.

By operating fast and with little consultation, Infantino kept even high-level executives in the dark. Now, following months of missteps, the FIFA president has rallied his supporters against calls for his resignation.

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