Under‑fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino has taken the governing body to a “whole new level” that has left critics “jealous,” according to Andrew Giuliani, former executive director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 World Cup. New Zealand’s federation became the latest to withdraw its support for Infantino’s reelection, and UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC have already expressed lost confidence. England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland also declined to back the president, while the Confederation of African Football and CONMEBOL endorsed him for a fourth term at the FIFA Congress in March.

Giuliani said the backlash is “politics” and that “people are jealous when people are very high achievers.” He praised Infantino’s record, noting the 2022 World Cup generated more than 4 times the revenue of the previous edition and was run without incident. “If Gianni Infantino doesn’t get reelected unanimously, whoever voted against him needs to get their head examined,” he declared.

Infantino had proposed the FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial arm to sell 20 percent to private investors, including a company led by Joshua Kushner. The plan was scrapped, and Giuliani urged observers to consider Infantino’s overall body of work before judging him. Trump warned FIFA would make a “terrible mistake” if it removed Infantino. Giuliani also highlighted Infantino’s stewardship of the Russia and Qatar tournaments, noting his ability to navigate complex political landscapes. The controversy centers on Infantino’s attempts to modernize FIFA’s commercial strategy, but Giuliani insists that any missteps should be weighed against the broader progress he has championed.