Former White House official compares criticism of FIFA chief to attacks on Trump - Al Jazeera

**Former White House official compares criticism of FIFA chief to attacks on Trump — Al Jazeera**

Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and executive director of the White House World Cup task force, has defended embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing his critics of jealousy.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as well as the English, Welsh, Irish and New Zealand football federations, are among those who have refused to support Infantino's re-election. Notably, potential investors who could buy a stake in the organization include Joshua Kushner, brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Andrew Giuliani says the real reason for the pressure on Infantino is politics and petty.

“It’s just politics. I’ve seen it before, especially when they were targeting President Trump politically. People are always jealous of those who have achieved great things. Gianni Infantino has taken the organization to a whole new level, to a level that many people thought was impossible,” Giuliani told The Athletic.

Giuliani also touched on the state of sports today, adding that commercialization has become the norm:

“We’re all human, and we have to admit that sports have become commercialized and have become a source of money. I would say that you have to look at Gianni’s entire career and understand that he is always trying to improve his organization. Based on what he has done, I would like to see this person continue to lead FIFA.”

Infantino has come under fire for his plan to sell a 20 percent stake in the new FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to private investors, a new entity that would handle the commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments. Although he backed away from the idea amid the protests, the controversy has hurt his chances of winning next year's elections.