GENEVA (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s public support for Donald Trump and the award of a FIFA Peace Prize to the former U.S. president have led to formal complaints filed with the organization’s ethics investigators.
Complaints Allege Breach of Neutrality
London-based human rights nonprofit Fair Square announced Tuesday that it has requested an investigation, alleging that Infantino violated FIFA’s duty to remain politically neutral.
FIFA’s ethics committee said it does not comment on ongoing cases and could not confirm receipt of the complaint. The FIFA ethics code allows for a ban of up to two years for breaching the duty of neutrality. It remains unclear if this case will move forward. Critics note that current ethics investigators and judges are viewed as less independent than their predecessors, who oversaw the removal of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter a decade ago.
Infantino’s Support for Trump
Earlier this year, Infantino publicly backed Trump and his policies, even suggesting the U.S. president deserved the Nobel Peace Prize — which Trump did not win. Ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Infantino has closely aligned FIFA with the U.S. government. The tournament is expected to generate more than $10 billion in revenue.
Political leaders from all three host nations joined Infantino in Washington, D.C., last Friday to launch the World Cup draw, following Trump’s receipt of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.
Fair Square Calls It a “Clear Breach”
Fair Square described the award of the prize to a sitting political leader as “a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality” in an eight-page complaint.
The organization also said that if Infantino acted unilaterally without statutory authority, it would represent “an egregious abuse of power.” FIFA has not clarified how the Peace Prize was created, with details emerging primarily through media reports.
