A US State Department official has refuted reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to speak with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson denied reports that a phone call had been arranged between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In a statement posted to social media, Johnson clarified that there were no plans for the two to speak on Monday morning.

Context of the Reported Call

The denial followed reports from two sources cited by the New York Post, which claimed a call was set to take place shortly after 9 am ET. According to those sources, the discussion was intended to focus on soccer as a form of soft power, though one insider suggested the outreach was motivated by job protection concerns.

FIFA Proposal and Leadership Challenges

The reported outreach attempts follow the collapse of FIFA's proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) on Friday. The plan, which would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in the commercial assets of FIFA competitions, was abandoned after facing significant opposition from national associations and confederations, including UEFA and CONCACAF. Following the collapse, the Football Association of Wales became the first national body to publicly withdraw its support for Infantino’s continued leadership.