U.S. Soccer VP says FIFA president Gianni Infantino is 'tarnishing the entire sport' to win Donald Trump's favor

The vice president of the U.S. Soccer Federation criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino for developing a cozy relationship with United States President Donald Trump leading up to and during the 2026 World Cup . Nathán Goldberg Crenier wrote an editorial for The Guardian in which he called upon the leaders of soccer federations throughout the world to oppose Infantino’s management decisions for FIFA. Crenier argues that the “egotistical and transactional” direction of his leadership threatens “the soul of the sport.” Crenier, who was elected to his position in 2024 , singled out 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. U.S. Soccer Federation vice president Nathán Goldberg Crenier is highly critical of Gianni Infantino's leadership of FIFA in recent years. (Photo by Tim Heitman/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) Tim Heitman/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images The most recent example Crenier cites is FIFA’s decision to suspend the red card issued to USMNT player Folarin Balogun before the U.S. played Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16. Balogun was issued the red card during the Stars and Stripes’ match versus Bosnia-Herzegovina for stepping on the ankle of Tarek Muharemovic . Yet many observers felt Balogun’s foul was accidental and shouldn’t have been penalized so harshly. Trump reportedly called Infantino personally and asked him to review Balogun’s one-game ban. The U.S. president later said that he was “forced” to make the call and “ had no idea what was going to happen. ” However, The Times of London eventually reported that FIFA disciplinary chair Mohammad al-Kamali made the decision on his own . Crenier also pointed to Infantino awarding Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. Infantino honored Trump with the award without the approval of the FIFA Council. Some members of the council also said they were not consulted in the creation of the prize, let alone the decision to award it to Trump, The Athletic reported . Others said they found out about the award through the media. As a result of these decisions, in Crenier’s view, “the biggest casualty was soccer’s integrity.” The Balogun situation became a political controversy that the USMNT striker said created “ a lot of outside noise ” that became a significant distraction. Crenier then raised the issue of Trump presenting the World Cup trophy to the winner of the 2026 Spain-Argentina final with Infantino, calling it a demonstration of “debasing our sport again and again.” The U.S. Soccer vice president ended his op-ed by saying he was encouraged by others in the sports speaking out against Infantino’s actions and ethics. 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.