FIFA President Gianni Infantino has reportedly asked the Trump administration to help him keep his job, arranging a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to reports from the New York Post. The reported approach comes four weeks after FIFA provided the White House a significant victory by clearing Folarin Balogun for Belgium, suspending the striker's automatic red card ban on probation. Trump had publicly pushed for this reversal and claimed credit for it, writing on Truth Social: "Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!"
Polymarket traders have significantly increased Infantino's exit odds to 36.5% by December 31, up from roughly 19% just a week ago, as reported by BeInCrypto. Almost all of the contract's lifetime volume arrived in the past seven days, with $151,700 of the $156,400 total volume traded in just one week. The contract's open interest sits near $76,000, indicating substantial market participation in the FIFA leadership uncertainty.
The market reaction accelerated when all 55 UEFA member associations unanimously backed a boycott on July 30, as reported by BeInCrypto. Chief operating officer Kevin Lamour told the Associated Press that staff had been deceived, stating: "It is the project of one person." The revolt broke above 40% the following day once Infantino's own executives turned against him. Carlos Cordeiro, the former Goldman Sachs banker who represented FIFA on the task force, resigned Friday over the sale plan.
The asset in dispute represents substantial financial value, with Cordeiro putting FIFA's revenue at $15 billion over the World Cup cycle, as reported by BeInCrypto. Josh Kushner's fund offered $4.2 billion for 20% of a new FIFA subsidiary. The cryptocurrency market has already claimed a portion of this value, with the tournament driving $20 billion in World Cup prediction volume according to Chainalysis. FIFA's own collectibles platform cleared at least $6 million in fees.
Rubio is not a cold call, having sat in the Oval Office with Trump and Infantino last November during a task force meeting on the World Cup, according to BeInCrypto. However, FIFA's bridge into that room is now gone as Cordeiro's resignation removes a key intermediary who had joined Infantino on repeated White House visits. The contract's expiry date on December 31 shapes trader expectations, as it pays out only on a departure before that date while FIFA's election falls next March.
