MetLife pitch row deepens US backlash against Infantino
A dispute over sales of the MetLife Stadium pitch has intensified scrutiny of FIFA’s host-city model as a US Soccer vice-president publicly accused Gianni Infantino of compromising the sport to maintain his relationship with Donald Trump.
FIFA is facing a dispute with New Jersey over the sale of pieces of the pitch used for the 2026 World Cup final, adding to criticism of Gianni Infantino’s leadership from within US Soccer.New Jersey officials have questioned who owns the turf and should benefit from its sale after public money was used to install and maintain the natural-grass surface at MetLife Stadium.A spokesperson for New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill said: “New Jersey paid several million dollars for the entire cost of the MetLife Stadium playing field, so New Jersey taxpayers should benefit from any proceeds.”Sections of the pitch were offered as commemorative products following Spain’s victory over Argentina, with packages reportedly priced between US$450 and US$3,000.Each product was limited to 2,026 units, creating the potential for a multimillion-dollar memorabilia programme linked to the tournament’s highest-profile match.The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the publicly owned Meadowlands Sports Complex, spent about US$13m on design, construction, equipment and services required to bring the field up to FIFA standards.Republican state assembly member Michael Inganamort joined the Democratic governor’s office in challenging the initiative, turning the dispute into a cross-party issue.Inganamort said: “FIFA needs to get off our turf, literally. New Jersey taxpayers funded US$13m in upgrades to MetLife Stadium, including replacing the artificial turf with natural grass.“This is state property. FIFA cannot simply sell the football pitch without authorisation.”FIFA rejected suggestions that it was the principal beneficiary of the programme and said the initiative was being led by the New York New Jersey Host Committee.The governing body said it would receive a royalty of less than 5% for the use of its intellectual property, with a larger proportion of revenue going to the local organising committee.FIFA also said only about five square metres of turf would be used and that claims it stood to generate millions of dollars directly were incorrect.The disagreement highlights tensions within the World Cup hosting model, under which local governments and organising committees carry substantial infrastructure, transport and security costs while FIFA controls the tournament’s central commercial rights.Host cities accepted those obligations in expectation of visitor spending, international exposure and longer-term economic benefits. Questions over the pitch revenue have reopened debate about how tournament income is divided between FIFA and publicly funded local partners.The row follows a separate attack on Infantino from Nathán Goldberg Crenier, a vice-president of the US Soccer Federation, who accused the FIFA president of damaging football through his relationship with Trump.Goldberg Crenier said Infantino had pursued preferential treatment from the US government at the expense of FIFA’s independence and the tournament’s wider reputation.Goldberg Crenier said: “Ever since the United States won the rights to co-host the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump at all costs, supposedly to secure preferential treatment for FIFA from the American government.“Predictably, he suffered the same fate as everyone who has made a Faustian bargain with the US president: he learned that cosying up to Trump always backfires, tarnishing the entire sport along the way.”His intervention is significant because it came from a senior figure within the federation of the tournament’s largest host nation rather than from one of FIFA’s established European critics.The criticism followed a series of controversies involving Trump, including his intervention over Folarin Balogun’s suspension and his prominent role during the final’s trophy presentation.FIFA maintained that its disciplinary committee independently decided to defer Balogun’s one-match ban, allowing the United States forward to face Belgium in the last 16.Goldberg Crenier called for reforms that would reduce the authority concentrated in the FIFA presidency and give member associations greater responsibility for protecting the governing body’s independence.The MetLife dispute and the break in ranks at US Soccer leave FIFA facing questions over both the distribution of World Cup revenue and the political cost of Infantino’s approach to the tournament’s most important host government.