Gianni Infantino is facing a fresh crisis within FIFA after financial documents unveiled a controversial commercial connection between football’s governing body and a business group affiliated with the family of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The controversy does not involve a personal transfer from Infantino to Trump, but rather a long-term lease agreement signed by a FIFA subsidiary to secure a representative office inside Trump Tower in New York, despite internal questions regarding its actual necessity.
French newspaper Le Monde, in collaboration with information published by The New York Times, revealed that the lease value approaches $4 million (approximately €3.57 million) for an office rented over a period exceeding seven years.
Why Has the FIFA Office Become a Hotly Debated Controversy?
The lease began in June 2025 and runs through the end of 2032—more than six years beyond the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—covering an area of roughly 450 square meters on the 17th floor of Trump Tower.
The lease payments are directed to “Trump Tower Commercial LLC,” headed by Eric Trump, the U.S. President’s son. Current and former FIFA sources confirmed that the office has remained largely unoccupied, with no permanent FIFA staff based at the site.
FIFA pays approximately $470,000 annually, averaging nearly $41,000 per month, alongside incurring an additional invoice of nearly $100,000 for maintenance, electricity, and renovation work.
Documents indicate that selecting Trump Tower stemmed directly from Infantino’s personal preference without evaluating alternative locations or conducting a competitive bidding process, deviating from the approach used when establishing FIFA’s primary operational offices in Miami.
Furthermore, reports highlighted that the vast majority of FIFA employees were kept in the dark regarding the transaction details, while it remains unclear whether FIFA’s Finance Committee ever reviewed or approved the lease prior to execution.
FIFA Defends the Deal as Trump Links Raise Conflict of Interest Suspicions
FIFA defended its position, insisting that the rental rate aligns with market values and that the contract complies with local regulations and internal governance frameworks.
The governing body added that the office serves as a facility for high-level meetings, private events, and hosting delegates from member associations and governments—particularly during the United Nations General Assembly—asserting that maintaining a footprint in a global metropolis like New York is entirely logical.
However, Miguel Maduro, former Chairman of FIFA’s Governance Committee, warned that leasing premises owned by an entity linked to the head of state of a World Cup host nation presents an undeniable conflict of interest.
This development follows a series of incidents that have fueled scrutiny over Infantino’s proximity to Trump, including awarding him a FIFA Peace Award, reducing a disciplinary sanction on American player Folarin Balogun following a telephone exchange between the two figures, and a prior investment project involving parties close to the Trump family.
