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Trump's envoy in Tirana for Infantino? Zampolli lobbied the Duke for FIFA president

2026-09-14 09:17:21Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Trump's envoy in Tirana for Infantino? Zampolli lobbied the Duke for FIFA
Zampolli and Duka marking Infantino's name on the plaque of the AFF building. Photo: Instagram.

On September 8, the US President's Special Envoy for Global Partnerships, Paolo Zampolli, held a surprise meeting with the president of the Albanian Football Federation, Armando Duka.

The two men posed smiling in front of the plaque at the entrance to the Federation, known as the "House of Football", while Zampolli insistently singled out a name on the plaque with his index finger: Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.

Although the meeting was officially presented under the guise of "sports diplomacy", BIRN learned that a lobbying mission was hidden behind it.

Beyond his role as a White House envoy, Zampolli is an outspoken and ardent advocate for Gianni Infantino and during his visit to Tirana, he sought support for his re-election for another 4-year term at the helm of FIFA.

Zampolli's visit to Tirana took place at a delicate moment for the FIFA head, who is facing successive withdrawals of support from European football federations over a failed proposal to sell World Cup rights to a private consortium.

The Albanian Football Federation also officially withdrew in August its support previously given to Infantino for a new term at the head of FIFA.

The involvement of a White House envoy to lobby for the FIFA head makes this visit controversial, as it risks violating one of the strictest principles of world football's statutes, the prohibition of state politics interfering with the independence of federations.

Zampolli himself described his visit to the AFF offices with the words: "'America First' sports diplomacy in action."

Present at the meeting between Zampolli and Duka, Ilir Kulla, a former senior state advisor and security expert, admitted that Infantino's mandate had been part of the meeting, but added that the head of the AFF should have spoken about it.

"There is a truth, but I believe it belongs to the Duke," Kulla said via message.

"They have a mutual friend in Infantino and he is a friend of Trump," he added.

Asked about Zampolli's lobbying in Albania, FIFA denied through a spokesperson any possible involvement of its head.

"The FIFA president is not aware of this matter and has not given instructions to anyone," the spokesman said.

The head of the Albanian Football Association, Armando Duka, was unavailable for comment, while an Albanian Football Association spokesperson told BIRN that regarding Infantino, the Albanian institution holds the same position as the European football governing body: “We have a unified position with UEFA.”

Support for Infantino

Zampolli is an Italian-American businessman, widely known as a close friend of United States President Donald Trump and as the man who introduced the latter to his wife, Melania.

However, his public profile has also been shadowed by suspicion, as his name has been tainted in the media due to the mention in his circle of contacts of the billionaire accused of sexual abuse of minors, Jeffrey Epstein.

Beyond his role as a White House envoy, Zampolli has openly sided with Infantino. In a long article recently published, “Gianni Infantino’s Real Guilt: Opening Up Football to the World,” Zampolli defends Infantino as a champion of small countries who is fighting the European monopoly.

In this material, he argues that the campaign against Infantino is "detached from perspective and facts" and emphasizes that the FIFA president's real fault is challenging a global economy where Europe generates around 70 percent of revenue and seeks to turn this success into a "wall that protects privilege from the rest of the world."

Zampolli has previously made international football-related news.

Before the start of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada that ended in July, he proposed that Iran, with whom the United States was at odds, be replaced in the competition by Italy. But his proposal was ridiculed and rejected, as it was not based on any of the rules of the game.

The clash between UEFA and Infantino

Zampolli and Duka marking Infantino's name on the plaque of the FSHF building. Photo: Instagram.
The Trump envoy's attempt to secure support for Infantino's candidacy comes as a result of a strong rift between UEFA and FIFA. The rift came after Infantino's failed proposal for a new investment structure, which consisted of a plan to sell the rights to FIFA tournaments, including the World Cup, to a private consortium of investors in exchange for billions of dollars in investment - a move that was strongly opposed by the football community for a lack of prior consultations, forcing the FIFA head to withdraw it.

Following this clash, which came immediately after the end of the World Cup, UEFA and a number of its member federations, including Germany, England, France and a number of other countries, withdrew their support for Infantino.

The Albanian Football Association (AFHA) joined this group on 6 August 2026, when the President of the AFHA, Armand Duka, sent an official letter to the FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, to communicate the withdrawal of support. Through this document, the AFHA announced the revocation of the support previously given, specifically on 20 May 2026, for the candidacy of Gianni Infantino for a new four-year mandate at the head of the institution.

The letter stated that the decision was made after “further internal consultations and careful consideration.” Although the AFF used diplomatic language in the letter, the withdrawal comes in the wake of tough stances from European federations regarding FIFA’s governance processes.

Officially, the Albanian Football Association chose to keep the lobbying issue out of the public eye, focusing on sports diplomacy announcements. UEFA refused to respond, suggesting that questions should be directed to Tirana.

Busy Agenda and the “Bektashi State”

During his visit to Tirana, Zampolli did not stop at just football, but developed a busy agenda of meetings with representatives of state institutions, clergy and sports leaders.

In his public appearances, he also became involved in the latest geopolitical and religious debate in the country, regarding the highly controversial issue of the creation of the "Bektashi State" within the borders of Tirana.

“I think it’s an excellent project. I heard the prime minister speak, I heard his holiness [the head of the Bektashis] and your people decide or will decide. I think the international community respects the decision of the Albanian people,” Zampolli told reporters after the meeting.

This was followed by other meetings, including the head of the Albanian National Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, the Minister of Economy and Innovation, and the Deputy Minister for Sports with an agenda officially focused on global partnerships, investments, and American diplomacy.


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