Latest news with #MartinSorrell
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Infantino and Trump -- handshakes, warmth and a mutual interest
The heads of state who have felt the lash of US President Donald Trump's tongue in the Oval Office could do worse than seek advice from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who seems to have got their relationship down to a fine art. Infantino has shown a deft touch when it has come to dealing with hard-nosed leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin, when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, and now Trump with the United States set to co-host football's global showpiece next year. Trump has been quite the opposite, showing no mercy to those who have dared challenge him -- he has laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in extraordinary scenes at the White House. However, with Infantino it is all smiles, compliments and Trump's traditional use of the words "great" and "greatest" when he likes something or somebody. Infantino was one of just a handful of prominent sports figures present at Trump's inauguration. "Infantino handles Trump really well," Martin Sorrell, the founder of advertising giants WPP who is putting together a documentary for next year's World Cup, told AFP. Sorrell pointed to when Infantino was filmed with Trump in March, showing off the trophy for the upcoming Club World Cup. "Trump, who had the FIFA trophy behind him in the Oval Office on the video, said... 'as one president to another'," he noted. Infantino appears to have placed his relationship with Trump front and centre -- perhaps unsurprising as the women's 2031 World Cup is also expected to be hosted in the US as well as the inaugural women's Club World Cup in 2028. However, there are signs that the relationship can grate with others as it did with UEFA representatives when Infantino arrived late at a FIFA Congress in Paraguay in May having been with Trump on the US president's visit to Qatar and then Saudi Arabia. - 'My great friend' - Nevertheless, whether some like it or not Infantino has restored relations with the US which reached its nadir under his predecessor Sepp Blatter. After the US lost out to Qatar for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, a FBI investigation resulted in 'Fifagate', leading to several of the governing body's senior figures going to jail and Blatter resigning. In 2018, two years after Infantino was elected, the US were named co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, earning him an invitation to the White House. Two years later the 'bromance' was strengthened when Trump asked Infantino to deliver the address at a dinner he hosted at the Economic Forum in Davos. "America is on the verge of becoming a great soccer power," purred Infantino. "The 'American dream' is something we all need to have. All those who love soccer." Trump responded by praising FIFA as a "steadfast movement" and Infantino as "my great friend." Infantino's loyalty -- a characteristic Trump values in others above all else -- has remained rock solid. The press conference-shy football boss has in his social media posts steered clear of commenting on the slights made by Trump regarding his World Cup co-hosts Mexico and Canada. So keen is he to maintain smooth relations, he did not even step in to correct Trump, sitting behind him, when the US president said inviting Russia to the 2026 World Cup could facilitate them making peace with Ukraine. Russia are barred from the qualifiers due to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, both have so much invested in the World Cup being a success that nothing must blight the landscape. "Gianni's obviously got a very close relationship with Trump and he's leveraging that because both sides have a mutual interest for 2026 to work," John Zerafa, an experienced sports communications strategist based in the UK, told AFP. "Trump is a guy that's driven by headlines and being in the spotlight, and he's going to love being in the spotlight in the run-up to and during the World Cup, and he knows that it's got to go smoothly. "So they've got a mutual interest for 2026 to work." pi-rcw-cfe/gj
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Infantino and Trump -- handshakes, warmth and a mutual interest
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has seemingly found the right formula for dealing with US President Donald Trump (Anna Moneymaker) The heads of state who have felt the lash of US President Donald Trump's tongue in the Oval Office could do worse than seek advice from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who seems to have got their relationship down to a fine art. Infantino has shown a deft touch when it has come to dealing with hard-nosed leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin, when Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, and now Trump with the United States set to co-host football's global showpiece next year. Advertisement Trump has been quite the opposite, showing no mercy to those who have dared challenge him -- he has laid into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in extraordinary scenes at the White House. However, with Infantino it is all smiles, compliments and Trump's traditional use of the words "great" and "greatest" when he likes something or somebody. Infantino was one of just a handful of prominent sports figures present at Trump's inauguration. "Infantino handles Trump really well," Martin Sorrell, the founder of advertising giants WPP who is putting together a documentary for next year's World Cup, told AFP. Advertisement Sorrell pointed to when Infantino was filmed with Trump in March, showing off the trophy for the upcoming Club World Cup. "Trump, who had the FIFA trophy behind him in the Oval Office on the video, said... 'as one president to another'," he noted. Infantino appears to have placed his relationship with Trump front and centre -- perhaps unsurprising as the women's 2031 World Cup is also expected to be hosted in the US as well as the inaugural women's Club World Cup in 2028. However, there are signs that the relationship can grate with others as it did with UEFA representatives when Infantino arrived late at a FIFA Congress in Paraguay in May having been with Trump on the US president's visit to Qatar and then Saudi Arabia. Advertisement - 'My great friend' - Nevertheless, whether some like it or not Infantino has restored relations with the US which reached its nadir under his predecessor Sepp Blatter. After the US lost out to Qatar for the right to host the 2022 World Cup, a FBI investigation resulted in 'Fifagate', leading to several of the governing body's senior figures going to jail and Blatter resigning. In 2018, two years after Infantino was elected, the US were named co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, earning him an invitation to the White House. Two years later the 'bromance' was strengthened when Trump asked Infantino to deliver the address at a dinner he hosted at the Economic Forum in Davos. Advertisement "America is on the verge of becoming a great soccer power," purred Infantino. "The 'American dream' is something we all need to have. All those who love soccer." Trump responded by praising FIFA as a "steadfast movement" and Infantino as "my great friend." Infantino's loyalty -- a characteristic Trump values in others above all else -- has remained rock solid. The press conference-shy football boss has in his social media posts steered clear of commenting on the slights made by Trump regarding his World Cup co-hosts Mexico and Canada. So keen is he to maintain smooth relations, he did not even step in to correct Trump, sitting behind him, when the US president said inviting Russia to the 2026 World Cup could facilitate them making peace with Ukraine. Advertisement Russia are barred from the qualifiers due to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, both have so much invested in the World Cup being a success that nothing must blight the landscape. "Gianni's obviously got a very close relationship with Trump and he's leveraging that because both sides have a mutual interest for 2026 to work," John Zerafa, an experienced sports communications strategist based in the UK, told AFP. "Trump is a guy that's driven by headlines and being in the spotlight, and he's going to love being in the spotlight in the run-up to and during the World Cup, and he knows that it's got to go smoothly. "So they've got a mutual interest for 2026 to work." pi-rcw-cfe/gj
Reuters
04-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Sorrell's S4 Capital cuts annual revenue forecast as tech clients stay cautious
June 4 (Reuters) - Martin Sorrell's ad group S4 Capital (SFOR.L), opens new tab said on Wednesday it expects annual like-for-like net revenue to decline by low single digits, as tech clients remain cautious amid a weaker global economy and U.S. tariffs. The company had previously expected 2025 revenue and operational core earnings to be broadly similar to 2024. S4, which generates nearly half of its business from the technology sector, said tech clients continued to favour capital spending over marketing, while the unit continued to see a hit by reduced work from a major client. The owner of the Monks ad agency maintained its full-year like-for-like core operating profit forecast. Once there is more certainty regarding U.S. tariffs, S4 said it expects clients will become more selective about where they operate and will focus on technologies such as artificial intelligence to drive performance in a slower growth environment.
Bloomberg
14-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
No Going Back to Normal After Trump Tariffs: Sorrell
S4 Capital Founder, Martin Sorrell, says there's no going back to normal after President Trump's tariff war. That's despite the 90-day truce between the US and China. He told Bloomberg's Insight with Haslinda Amin how his clients are positioning amid heightened uncertainty. (Source: Bloomberg)
Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Sir Martin Sorrell's S4 suffers from preference for AI over marketing
Sir Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital followed two profit warnings in the past year with an 11.4 per cent drop in first-quarter sales as tech clients continued spending on AI rather than marketing. The Europe and Middle Eastern region showed the largest fall in like-for-like revenue, down more than 17 per cent from the year before, while the US was down 11 per cent and Asia-Pacific was down by 13.6 per cent. Sorrell, 80, founded S4 Capital six years ago after his controversial departure from WPP after a 33-year career with the FTSE 100 advertising group. The business focuses on the digital advertising market and has grown through the acquisition of the agencies Monks and Mighty Hive, which it combined to form Media Monks. It works
