President Donald Trump has jokingly suggested signing an executive order mandating the replacement of ‘soccer’ with ‘football’ in the United States, potentially ending a longstanding rivalry between North American and the rest of the world.

Mr Trump made the statement in a halftime interview with broadcaster DAZN during the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium on Wednesday 

The American leader, who watched Chelsea triumph over PSG from the VIP box alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, quipped that he could mandate the sport to be referred to as football in the U.S., admitting, however, that it would not be easy.

“Gianni is a friend of mine, he’s done such a great job with the league and with soccer – or as they would call it ‘football,’ but I guess we call it soccer. I’m not sure that change could be made very easily,” Mr Trump said. “But it’s great to watch – and this is a little bit of an upset that we’re watching today, isn’t it?”

“I think we could do that. I think I could do that,” Mr Trump said with a smile when he was asked about the possibility of an executive order on the matter.

The debate over the acceptable term for the round leather ball sport dates back to the late 19th century and is still hot on social media, which is usually between the rest of the world, who call the game football and North America, where it is referred to as soccer.

The term ‘football’ is popularly associated with American football in North America, especially in the United States, and any attempt by Mr Trump to force a name change may spark outrage among fans of the National Football League.