"Gianni Infantino said he was bullied at school. Classmates laughed at his freckles and his red hair. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is accused by his rivals of being a bully and bullying the week. Never before have such different personalities been so close. Infantino, 55, was born into a humble family: the son of a Calabrian railway worker and a Lombard housekeeper."
"Trump, 79, grew up surrounded by every comfort. His father was a successful construction businessman in the vibrant New York of the 1960s. The unexpected friendship between the president of FIFA, the sports governing body that organizes football events, and the U.S. president has sparked some criticism. Yet the bond between the two leaders is bringing soccer a minority sport in the United States closer to the MAGA world, a space previously reserved for the NFL, NBA, and baseball."
"FIFA had just awarded the joint United States-Canada-Mexico bid to host the 2026 World Cup. Infantino gifted the Republican a soccer ball and a personalized jersey. As the visit was drawing to a close, he said: One more thing. You know in soccer, we have referees, right? And they have cards. Yellow cards and red cards. The yellow card is a warning, and when you want to kick out someone [shows the red card] ... so this could be useful."
Gianni Infantino experienced bullying at school for his freckles and red hair and grew up as the son of a Calabrian railway worker and a Lombard housekeeper. Donald Trump grew up affluent, son of a successful construction businessman in 1960s New York. A friendship between the FIFA president and the U.S. president has attracted criticism while drawing soccer closer to the MAGA world, a space once dominated by NFL, NBA and baseball. Two defining moments cemented the bond: Infantino's August 2018 White House visit where he gifted Trump a red card and joked about using it, and Trump's attendance at Davos in early 2020.
Read at english.elpais.com
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