Donald Trump denies speaking with Gianni Infantino about World Cup sell-off plan
Donald Trump has denied speaking with FIFA president Gianni Infantino about his controversial sell-off plan.
Infantino has come under major backlash after proposing to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to manage its competitions.
The FFE would sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors, a move that has put Infantino's position under serious risk.
Trump, who was hosting a cabinet meeting, was asked by reporters if he had spoken to the FIFA president.
"No, I never spoke to him," Trump told reporters.
The pair had dealings at the World Cup after the US president personally asked Infantino to "review" a red card shown to the US striker Folarian Balogun.
The forward had his one-match ban suspended and was able to play against Belgium in the last-16.
Infantino's latest move, trying to set up the FFE, has significantly backfired for the FIFA president.
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The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has labelled Infantino "the wrong man" to continue leading FIFA forward.
He told reporters on Friday: "This was an outrageous suggestion.
"The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, [he] is the wrong man to lead the organisation."
Burnham has been openly critical of FIFA's plans, describing football's governing body earlier this week as "sell-outs".
"Let me say this very directly. Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine," he said.
"The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone's to sell.
"Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out. Football belongs to the fans. It always has, and it always will."
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy echoed the prime minister's thoughts, saying: "This is a principled decision that we strongly support.
"Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand to protect our game."
UEFA have said its 55 member nations will boycott any FIFA tournament going forward if the plan goes ahead.
The FA released a statement following UEFA's move, saying: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view.
"We oppose FIFA's plans - the FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will."
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