On August 5, 2026, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was reportedly seeking support from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his defeated commercial restructuring plan fueled criticism inside soccer’s governing body. The State Department denied that a Rubio call was scheduled, turning a reported political outreach effort into its own public controversy. According to The New York Post, Infantino wanted to present soccer as a form of American “soft power” while trying to reconnect with Trump and secure a private conversation with Rubio. Unnamed sources described the 56-year-old FIFA chief as increasingly isolated by negative coverage, while critics suggested the outreach was more about protecting his leadership than promoting U.S. diplomacy. Was the Rubio Call Ever Happening? Dylan Johnson, the State Department’s assistant secretary for global public affairs, said Rubio had no plans to speak with Infantino and that no call was scheduled that morning. Johnson also criticized the Post for not confirming the report with the department before publication. “There are no plans for @SecRubio to speak with Infantino and there is no call this morning,” Johnson wrote on X. A senior FIFA source cited by the Post disputed that denial, claiming a conversation had been arranged and later canceled because the report created unwanted attention. The State Department rejected that explanation, and neither Infantino nor FIFA publicly clarified whether his team had tried to arrange the call. The broader FIFA fight centers on Infantino’s failed proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary that would bring together broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing, licensing and other commercial operations. With the plan defeated and internal questions mounting about his future, Infantino’s reported attempts to enlist Trump’s political orbit have made the leadership crisis even harder to contain.