Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, was one of the unexpected attendees at the Middle East peace summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where the president of the United States, Donald Trump, also participated, along with leaders from 30 European countries. Among them, Giorgia Meloni (Italy), Pedro Sánchez (Spain), and Emmanuel Macron (France) stood out, on a day marked by the search for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Infantino shared the stage with the American president and had a brief exchange, in which he called him "my great friend," a gesture that did not go unnoticed. Both appeared relaxed and posed together for a photo that quickly began circulating on social media.
Trump con Infantino
According to reports, the relationship between Infantino and Trump has continued for several years, especially since the joint organization of the 2026 World Cup among the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This time, the Republican leader invited the FIFA president to participate in the future signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords at the White House, in a new attempt to promote a regional peace process.
Meanwhile, a few days ago, during the Annual Assembly of the European Football Clubs (EFC) held in Rome, Infantino had publicly congratulated Trump for his role in mediating the recent agreement between Israel and Hamas. "This first part of the peace agreement is fantastic news. It's something that goes beyond football, but also includes football," the Swiss stated in his speech.
In recent months, the top leader of world football had alluded to the fact that FIFA can't solve geopolitical conflicts, but "can and must promote football around the world by leveraging its unifying, educational, cultural, and humanitarian values."
His participation in the summit, beyond protocol, was interpreted as an attempt to reinforce the image of football as a symbol of peace and international dialogue, in a context of extreme global tension.
