Swiss lawmakers urge FIFA’s Infantino to intervene in trade tensions

In a last-ditch attempt to lower the duties imposed on its exports, Switzerland is considering tapping the relationship between Swiss national Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, the President of the U.S. to ease trade negotiations.

Swiss political leaders are taking an unconventional diplomatic route to ease the escalating trade tensions with the United States. This route includes enlisting FIFA’s President, Gianni Infantino.

Infantino, a Swiss national and the president of football’s global governing body, has a long-standing personal rapport with the U.S. President Donald Trump. That relationship, lawmakers argue, could provide vital backchannel access to Trump amid the tariff crisis.

Swiss lawmakers urge FIFA’s Infantino to intervene in trade tensions

Switzerland, traditionally known for its neutrality and pragmatic diplomacy, was hit this month with the highest U.S. tariff rate in Europe, a 39% duty on key exports. Despite direct appeals from the Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and the Economy Minister Guy Parmelin, the decision has not been reversed.

Switzerland had believed it was close to a compromise with U.S. officials and hoped to bring the tariff rate closer to 10% after rounds of negotiations with Trump’s trade representative, Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. But last week, in a call with Keller-Sutter, Trump cited America’s $39B trade deficit with Switzerland as justification for the harsher penalty.

Trump was dismissive of Keller-Sutter’s arguments, telling CNBC that “the woman was nice but [the Swiss president] didn’t want to listen” to his grievances over the trade imbalance.

After meeting with the U.S. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio on Wednesday, the Swiss delegation left the U.S. empty-handed.

“At today’s meeting with Foreign Minister [Marco Rubio] we discussed bilateral co-operation between Switzerland and the US, the customs situation, and international issues.” Keller-Sutter wrote in a post on X.

The Swiss press has been harsh in its criticism of the government’s diplomatic efforts, calling them disorganized and lacking urgency. The failure to reach an agreement has sparked further domestic criticism of the government’s negotiation strategy and triggered calls for creative alternatives — Cue Infantino.

Trump’s relationship with Infantino

Infantino, who hails from Brig in southern Switzerland, has developed a close relationship with Trump over the past several years. He attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017 and has shared the stage with the former president on multiple occasions, most recently at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey.

Just last month, Infantino visited the Trump Tower to inaugurate a new FIFA office. Trump has frequently spoken of Infantino in glowing terms, calling him a “friend of mine,” a “winner,” and an “excellent guy.”

Swiss National Councillor Roland Rino Büchel, a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), said it is time to make use of that connection.

“It is definitely time to bring in Gianni Infantino now without further delay to help open doors,” Büchel told the Financial Times. “If Parmelin picked up the phone and asked Infantino for help, I would well imagine he would do it.”

Büchel knows both Infantino and Parmelin personally and believes the football executive is uniquely placed to provide access to Trump.

“The situation is bad. We need better ideas for the good of the country and the thousands of jobs that will be affected if we do not get a better deal,” he added.

Büchel also noted Parmelin’s long-standing relationship with Infantino, dating back to his time as Swiss minister of sport between 2016 and 2018. The two were recently seen seated together at a Switzerland vs. Serbia match, and in a 2021 Instagram post, Infantino praised Parmelin as “a great supporter of our beautiful game.”

Thomas Borer, a former Swiss ambassador to Germany and a high-profile foreign policy figure, backed up the idea, telling Swiss media this week that turning to Infantino was “not a bad idea.”

So far, neither the Swiss economy ministry nor FIFA has commented on the proposal, and it’s unclear whether any formal outreach has been initiated.

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