Fifa opens office in Trump Tower, deepening ties with US President

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Fifa boss Infantino has a close relationship with President Trump and has now moved the body into Trump Tower
Fifa boss Infantino has a close relationship with President Trump and has now moved the body into Trump Tower

Fifa has opened an office at Trump Tower in New York in the latest evidence of an increasingly close relationship between football’s world governing body and the US president.

The move follows the relocation of Fifa’s legal department to Miami last year and comes ahead of the US hosting the majority of the men’s World Cup next summer.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino made the announcement at an event at Trump Tower, where the Club World Cup trophy will be on show until Sunday’s final in New Jersey.

“Fifa [is] a global organisation [and] to be global, you have to be local,” said Infantino. “You have to be everywhere, so we have to be in New York. 

“Not just for the Club World Cup this year and the World Cup next year; we have to be in New York as well when it comes to where our offices are based. 

“So today, we are opening an office of Fifa here in Trump Tower. Thank you, Eric [Trump, senior vice president of the Trump Organization].

“Thanks, of course, to President Trump as well, who is a big fan of soccer. We have received such a big support from the government and from the President.”

We love you, Trump tells Infantino and Fifa

Eric Trump said: “On behalf of myself, New York, the Trump Organization and everybody that works in this building, we love you. We’re honoured, we’re excited about all the things that Fifa is doing.”

Infantino has been invited for multiple audiences with President Trump at the White House and even accompanied him on a state tour of the Middle East in May. 

The cosy relationship has raised concerns among human rights groups, however, who warned last week that Fifa risks becoming a “public relations tool to whitewash the reputation of an increasingly authoritarian government”.

In a letter sent to Infantino, 90 groups urged him to call on the Trump administration to reverse immigration policies that currently restrict the entry rights of citizens from 19 countries, including Iran, who have already qualified for next year’s World Cup.