Infantino praises Trump's support for the Club World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked US President Donald Trump for his support for the new and controversial edition of the Club World Cup, which he described as a great success. During a media meeting with former stars at Trump Tower in New York, where FIFA has opened an office, Infantino said that the US president's support is indispensable. He added that this support is very important and will continue with next year's World Cup, which the US is hosting alongside Mexico and Canada. "Events like the Club World Cup and the World Cup, where hundreds of thousands of people come to watch the matches, are huge events," Infantino explained. "You can't even think that an event like this could be organized without the full support of the government." The FIFA President also confirmed that Trump will attend Sunday's Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. Infantino described the Club World Cup as the most successful club tournament in the world, rejecting criticism the tournament has received from sports figures, such as former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that the Club World Cup was "the worst idea ever implemented in world football." Expanding the tournament to 32 teams and holding it every four years was one of Infantino's key ideas. He stated that the tournament has attracted an audience of 2.5 million fans and generated profits estimated at $2.1 billion, in addition to a broadcast agreement with DAZN, which provided a free-to-air viewing audience of 20 billion. The tournament's prize money is $1 billion, while the winner of the final alone receives $40 million. Infantino concluded his remarks by emphasizing that this tournament represents the beginning of a golden age for football, noting that FIFA launched this edition of the Club World Cup to remain relevant and change the face of the game at the club level.