An office that FIFA set up at Trump Tower in New York, a building owned by U.S. President Donald Trump's family, at a cost of about $4 million (5.4 billion won) is going virtually unused. Critics say the decision to sign a long-term lease on an office with no clear business purpose stems from FIFA President Gianni Infantino's close ties with Trump.
The New York Times reported on the 12th that FIFA signed a lease last year for an office on the 17th floor of Trump Tower running more than seven years, and that the space is effectively vacant.
At the time, Eric Trump, the president's second son, welcomed FIFA's decision to open an office at Trump Tower, calling it an honor. But according to FIFA officials, the office sits mostly empty. FIFA's main U.S. operations are run out of two offices in Miami, Florida, and there are no plans to assign resident staff to the New York office.
Even before the lease was signed, concerns were raised within FIFA about whether a New York office was needed. Setting up a separate base in New York in addition to the existing Miami offices could create an additional tax burden. To avoid that, FIFA sought legal advice on refraining from conducting business or commercial activity at the Trump Tower office.
Infantino is said to have driven the lease. The New York Times reported that Infantino has built a close relationship with Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America, and that he has drawn controversy by creating a special peace prize for Trump and by overturning a suspension imposed on U.S. forward Folarin Balogun during the tournament. That has fueled criticism that FIFA's long-term lease of a Trump Tower office with little business justification was meant to curry favor with the president.
Responding to the criticism, FIFA said it uses the New York office for meetings with senior figures and football officials and for special events, adding that New York is a global city and that FIFA, as a global organization, should have a base there.