FIFA President Gianni Infantino has received high praise from U.S. President Donald Trump due to his various gestures of goodwill towards the U.S. The New York Post reported exclusively on July 21 that Trump hopes Infantino will become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.
A source close to Trump revealed that Trump believes Gianni Infantino “is respected by everyone around the world and has a special ability to bring people together.”
The current Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, will serve out his term at the end of this year, and the next Secretary-General will be elected later in the year.
Reports suggest that Trump has noticed a clear weakness in the candidates for the position of United Nations Secretary-General—sources familiar with the matter describe the current seven candidates each having their own disadvantages.
Currently, the most strong candidates include Chile’s former president Michelle Bachelet and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi. However, Bachelet may face resistance from the United States, while Grossi, being Argentine, could encounter obstacles from Britain due to the issue of the Malvinas Islands (known as Falklands Islands in English).
The 56-year-old Infante was born in Switzerland. During the preparation for this year’s World Cup, he tried every means to curry favor with and win over Trump. He even awarded Trump the first FIFA Peace Award, thus establishing a close relationship with Trump.
"Only Trump's presidency can produce such a brilliant idea." Paolo Zampolli, special envoy of Trump for global partnerships, Italian-American businessman and diplomat, told The New York Post.
Zanopol said that Ignatiuno “will do very well” and “is deeply loved by everyone”. He also mentioned that Ignatiuno could bring new vitality to the massive bureaucracy, and use sports to build new bridges, inspiring young people and people living in poverty around the world.
Zapatero and Inzaghi are friends in private. He said that there are "some similarities" between the role of FIFA president and that of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
"At the United Nations, you must handle the affairs of 193 member states. And in FIFA, there are more than 200 members, and Gianni (Invano) stellar resume shows he knows how to manage." said Zampolli.
According to reports, Zampoli was with Ignatiu during the World Cup finals last weekend. However, Zampoli stated that they did not discuss the idea of Ignatiu becoming the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and expressed surprise at learning this from the New York Post.
It is currently unclear whether Villanova wants this job, and to what extent Trump and he have discussed this topic.
It is not easy to become the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Vanetti needs the endorsement of the Security Council, which consists of 15 member states. Among these, 5 permanent members have the power of veto.
Additionally, reports indicate that Ivana's annual income from FIFA is approximately $6 million, while the annual salary of the United Nations Secretary-General is about $418,000. This means that if Ivana becomes the United Nations Secretary-General, her salary will be significantly reduced.
Infantino did not respond to the inquiries from The New York Post.
According to reports, Gianni Infantino has already gained the support of almost all member associations of FIFA, and is likely to be re-elected as FIFA President.
