FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been accused before the FIFA Ethics Committee of repeatedly violating the principle of political neutrality with his comments about United States President Donald Trump. Likewise, the complaint requests examination of the procedure by which President Trump received the first peace prize awarded by the international football federation, which was awarded to him last Friday during the official draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The complaint was filed by FairSquare, a nonprofit organization known for its work documenting and advocating against political repression and violations of migrant workers’ rights. In sports matters, the entity states that its mission is to promote more transparent and democratic models of governance, with the aim of preventing sports institutions from contributing to causing damage or suffering.
The complaint, reported by sports media Athleticsexposes four episodes in which Infantino allegedly violated the obligation of political impartiality established in Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, all linked to the public support that the president of the organization allegedly showed towards Donald Trump. For the moment, FIFA has not made any comment on the subject.
The first fact highlighted concerns Infantino’s public campaign for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year. On October 9 – a day before the award was officially announced – Infantino wrote on Instagram, referring to Trump’s role in the ceasefire in Gaza and Israel: “President Donald J. Trump certainly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions. » For FairSquare, this intervention constitutes a personal endorsement of Trump’s actions in a geopolitical scenario. The prize was ultimately awarded to Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado.
The second episode occurred on November 5, when Infantino attended the America Business Forum in Miami. There, he enthusiastically defended Trump’s performance as president of the United States. Trump himself had intervened a few hours earlier in this same scenario. The document cites that Infantino called Trump a “very close friend” before speaking out to defend the Republican president’s agenda. The organization adds that there is no possibility of considering these words as personal statements, since Infantino was officially participating as FIFA president in a public event.
The third point refers to the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center last Friday, December 5. FairSquare claims that the video with which FIFA presented Trump as winner of its peace prize reproduced the narratives used by Trump and the White House in which he is credited with ending several armed conflicts. In reality, although in some cases he has received praise from opposing parties, in others his intervention is subject to debate and in several of them violence or tensions are still present.
Furthermore, at the drawing stage, Infantino directly addressed Trump, saying: “This is what we expect from a leader… Without a doubt, you deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your work and for what you have achieved in your own way, but you have achieved it in an incredible way and you can always count, Mr. President, on my support.” The complaint argues that this intervention represents explicit support for Trump’s foreign policy in different conflict scenarios.
Finally, the fourth fact mentioned concerns a short video that Infantino published on his Instagram account on January 20, 2025, in which he thanked Trump for the invitation to the rally preceding the presidential inauguration held the day before in Washington. According to FairSquare, the video ends with the phrase: “Together, we will not only make America great again, but the world.” » The organization claims that by using MAGA slogan language, Infantino abandons the neutrality it should maintain.
The presentation recognizes that FIFA must interact with the United States government due to its role as co-host of the 2026 World Cup and accepts that the institution must maintain diplomatic relations to achieve its objectives. However, he cautions that any contact must respect the impartiality required of the FIFA president, particularly in matters of domestic and foreign policy, except in matters that involve legal or human rights obligations of FIFA itself.
The last part of the letter requests that the Ethics Committee investigate how and why this new peace prize awarded this year by FIFA was created. The document cites recent revelations from Athleticsaccording to which neither the FIFA Council nor the vice-presidents were consulted on the creation of the prize, nor informed or involved in the selection criteria before its presentation to Trump last Friday.
The body to which the complaint was filed, which FIFA calls its Independent Ethics Committee, is part of the internal judicial structure of the federation and, according to the entity itself, is the main person responsible for examining and analyzing possible violations of the Code of Ethics. This commission is divided into two bodies: one responsible for investigation and another dedicated to issuing resolutions. The investigating chamber is made up of representatives from Rwanda, China, Canada, Malaysia, Greece, Kenya, Argentina, Vanuatu and Panama. It is chaired by Rwandan Martin Ngoga, who is also his country’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
Among the sanctions considered by FIFA for violating its rules are warnings, reprimands, fines, mandatory compliance courses and even a temporary or complete ban from participating in football-related activities.
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