FIFA President Gianni Infantino set for talks with Marco Rubio to save reelection bid: Report

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has scheduled private talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday to ask the Trump administration for help remaining in office, according to a report.

Two sources familiar with the matter told the New York Post that Infantino will hold a call with Rubio just after 9 am ET (1300 GMT).

“He wanted to get online with the secretary and talk about how soccer can be a form of soft power for America,” said one insider briefed on the matter. “But we all know that it is about job protection. It is not about anything else at this point.”

Infantino has repeatedly tried and failed to reach US President Donald Trump by phone since his plan to allow private investors to acquire a stake in the game’s commercial assets collapsed on Friday, according to the New York Post.

The calls follow FIFA abandoning its proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) on Friday after widespread opposition from confederations and national associations over plans to allow minority private investment in a new subsidiary that would manage the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.

Over the weekend, CONCACAF and UEFA spoke out about the proposal and Infantino’s leadership of football, calling for a “comprehensive reckoning.”

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