He has been accused before the FIFA Ethics Commission of repeatedly violating the principle of political neutrality with his comments about the president of the United States, Donald Trump. Likewise, the complaint requests that the procedure by which President Trump received the first peace prize awarded by the international soccer federation, which was awarded to him last Friday during the official draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada, be examined.
The complaint was filed by , a nonprofit organization known for its documentation and advocacy work 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 governance models, with the aim of preventing sports institutions from contributing to causing harm or suffering.
The complaint, reported by the sports media The Athleticexposes four episodes in which established in article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, all linked to the public support that the president of the organization would have shown towards Donald Trump. So far, FIFA has not commented on the matter.
The first fact highlighted has to do with Infantino’s public campaign in favor of Trump receiving the award this year. On October 9 — a day before the award was officially announced — Infantino wrote on Instagram, referring to Trump’s role in a 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 ended up being awarded
The second episode occurred on November 5, when Infantino participated in the America Business Forum in Miami. There he offered a rousing defense of Trump’s performance as president of the United States. Trump himself had intervened hours before in that same scenario. The document cites that Infantino called Trump “a very close friend,” before speaking out in defense of the Republican president’s agenda. The organization adds that there is no way to consider those words as personal statements, since Infantino was officially participating as president of FIFA in a public event.
The third statement refers to that of last Friday, December 5. FairSquare claims that the video with which FIFA presented Trump as the winner of its peace prize reproduced narratives used by Trump and the White House in which . In reality, although in some cases he has received praise from the opposing parties, in others his intervention is a cause for debate and in several of them violence or tensions are still present.
Furthermore, on the drawing stage, Infantino addressed Trump directly with these words: “This is what we expect from a leader… Without a doubt, you deserve first 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 maintains that this intervention represents explicit support for Trump’s foreign policy in different conflict scenarios.
Finally, the fourth fact mentioned revolves around 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 prior to the presidential inauguration held the previous day in Washington. According to FairSquare, the video concludes with the phrase: “Together we will not only make America great again, but the whole world as well.” The organization argues that, by using , Infantino abandons the neutrality that it must maintain.
The presentation recognizes that FIFA needs to interact with the United States Government due to its and accepts that the institution must maintain diplomatic relations to achieve its objectives. However, it warns that all contact must respect the impartiality required of the FIFA president, especially in relation to internal and foreign policy, except in matters that involve legal or human rights obligations of FIFA itself.
The last part of the letter asks that the Ethics Commission investigate how and why this new peace prize awarded this year by FIFA was created. The document cites recent revelations from The Athleticaccording to which neither the FIFA Council nor the vice presidents were consulted about the creation of the award, nor informed or made involved in the selection criteria before it was presented to Trump last Friday.
The body to which the complaint was filed, which calls it its Independent Ethics Committee, is part of the internal judicial structure of the federation and, according to the entity itself, is the main person in charge of reviewing and analyzing possible violations of the Code of Ethics. This committee is divided into two bodies: one in charge of investigation and another dedicated to issuing resolutions. The investigative 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 also serves as his country’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
Among the sanctions contemplated by FIFA for violations of its rules are warnings, reprimands, fines, mandatory compliance courses and even a temporary or total ban from participating in football-related activities.
