Fifa’s ethics committee has been urged to launch an investigation into president Gianni Infantino over alleged violations of the organisation’s political neutrality rules linked to U.S. president Donald Trump.
Infantino recently presented Trump with the first-ever Fifa Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC and has since expressed support for him through interviews and social media.
Human rights group FairSquare submitted a formal complaint -alleging that Infantino has “clearly breached” Fifa’s neutrality regulations on four separate counts.
“The presentation of such an award to a sitting political leader is, in itself, a blatant violation of Fifa’s obligation to maintain political neutrality,” the letter stated.
“Fifa’s president does not have the power to unilaterally set the organisation’s mission, strategic direction, policies, and values.”
During the high-profile ceremony at the Kennedy Center for next year’s World Cup, held across the US, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, Infantino and Trump stood side by side.
Along with a large golden trophy, Trump was presented with a medal and certificate by Infantino, who remarked, “this is what we want from a leader,” and added in his speech, following a video before the award, “you can always count, Mr President, on my support.”
In October, the 55-year-old Infantino posted on Instagram stating that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.
During a November interview at the American Business Forum in Miami, he added, “We should all support what (Trump) is doing (in the US) because I think it’s looking pretty good.”
FairSquare also pointed to a January Instagram video post by Infantino – after Trump’s inauguration invitation -that “indicates support for President Trump’s political agenda.”
Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s programme director, commented: “This complaint is about much more than Infantino’s backing of President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
“More broadly, it concerns how Fifa’s flawed governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly violate the organisation’s rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly opposed to the interests of the world’s most popular sport.”
