Trump ‘to push’ Infantino for next UN secretary general | OneFootball

The New York Post reports that Donald Trump is pushing FIFA president Gianni Infantino as a candidate to become the next United Nations secretary general, citing sources close to the US president.

Trump is said to view the 56-year-old as internationally respected and capable of uniting different constituencies, a belief shaped in part by their close ties built around the organisation of the 2026 World Cup.

The successor to António Guterres will be chosen this year, with his term ending in December. Any nominee must first be recommended by the Security Council, where the United States holds a veto, before confirmation by the General Assembly.

Across his two spells in the White House, Trump has had a fractious relationship with the UN and questioned multilateral bodies. During his first term he withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, announced its exit from the World Health Organization and left the UN Human Rights Council.

Trump and Infantino’s relationship deepened around the 2026 World Cup staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada. They appeared together at several tournament events, and in December Trump received FIFA’s inaugural Peace Award from the organisation led by Infantino.

During the tournament it also emerged that Trump intervened to overturn a suspension for United States top scorer Folarin Balogun via a call to Infantino. The ban was ultimately suspended temporarily, allowing Balogun to play the last-16 tie against Belgium.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo