A human rights organization has accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of violating the organization’s rules due to his public endorsement of Donald Trump and the recent peace prize awarded to the U.S. president.
FairSquare, a London-based human rights nonprofit, announced on Tuesday that it has submitted requests for investigations into Infantino’s alleged violations of FIFA’s statutory obligation to maintain political neutrality.
FIFA has stated that its ethics committee does not comment on ongoing potential cases and could not confirm the receipt of the complaint.
– New FIFA Peace Prize awarded to U.S. President Donald Trump
According to FIFA’s ethics code, violations of the neutrality mandate could result in a ban from soccer for up to two years, though it remains uncertain whether the case will be pursued. Observers have noted that the current FIFA-appointed ethics investigators and judges appear to operate with less independence than their predecessors did a decade ago when Sepp Blatter was ousted as president.
This year, Infantino has publicly expressed his support for Trump and his policies. In October, he posted on Instagram that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.
Infantino has also closely linked soccer with the U.S. government in the lead-up to the men’s 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada and Mexico, projected to generate over $10 billion for FIFA.
During the World Cup tournament draw held in Washington, D.C. last Friday, political leaders from all three co-hosting nations joined Infantino on stage after Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
Prior to receiving the prize, a video about Trump was shown during the draw, after which Infantino commented: “This is what we want from a leader … you definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action for what you have obtained in your way, and you can always rely on my support, Mr. President.”
In a November interview at the American Business Forum in Miami, Infantino stated, “We should all support what [Trump] is doing [in the U.S.] because I think it’s looking pretty good.”
FairSquare’s letter also cited an Instagram post from Infantino on January 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, where he declared, “Together we will make not only America great again, but also the entire world,” at the end of a video message.
FairSquare asserted in its eight-page complaint that “the award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is itself a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality.”
FIFA has not clarified how Infantino established the peace prize last month, with reports suggesting that individuals learned about it through media coverage rather than official communication.
FairSquare further stated, “If Mr. Infantino acted unilaterally and without statutory authority, this should be viewed as a serious abuse of power.”
Previously, FairSquare has raised concerns with FIFA regarding Saudi Arabia’s human rights record as the host of the 2034 World Cup, the influence of the kingdom’s oil company Aramco as a top-tier World Cup sponsor, FIFA governance standards, and the slow pace of investigations into potential violations related to teams from Israeli settlements within the national soccer league.
This report incorporated information from PA and The Associated Press.