US President Donald Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.
The Post cited a person close to Trump as saying that the president believes Infantino is โrespected by everyone around the worldโ and has a โspecial ability to bring people together.โ It is unclear, however, whether the Swiss-born football executive wants the job, the newspaper added.
Infantino has reportedly built close ties with Trump, awarding him FIFAโs inaugural Peace Prize in December after the US president repeatedly argued that he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end conflicts. Their friendship came under scrutiny during the FIFA World Cup, which the US co-hosted with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Shortly before the Round of 16, FIFA unexpectedly suspended a one-match disqualification of US star Folarin Balogun. Trump later confirmed that he had personally called Infantino to review the penalty, which he believed was unfair.
UEFA, European footballโs governing body, condemned the move as an unprecedented case of political meddling. Infantino, however, denied playing any role in the decision regarding the American player. The US was eliminated after a 4-1 defeat to Belgium.
The new UN secretary-general will be selected later this year as Antonio Guterresโ term expires in December. His successor must first be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then by the General Assembly. Everyone to have held the position has been a former politician or a diplomat.
Although the permanent members of the UN Security Council hold the real decision-making power, the secretary-general serves as the organizationโs chief representative on the global stage.
Trump, who had a successful career as the host of the reality TV show The Apprentice, has appointed several former athletes and entertainment figures to government positions. He named Linda McMahon, the co-founder and former CEO of WWE, as secretary of education during his second term.
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