A human rights organisation has accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of breaching FIFA’s neutrality rules through public support for former U.S. President Donald Trump and the creation of a peace prize awarded to him.
FairSquare, a London-based nonprofit, said it has submitted formal requests for investigations into alleged violations of FIFA’s statutory duty to remain politically neutral.
FIFA stated that its ethics committee does not comment on potential ongoing cases and has not confirmed receiving the complaint.
Under FIFA’s ethics code, breaching neutrality rules can attract a ban of up to two years, though it remains uncertain whether the matter will be taken up. Concerns about the independence of FIFA’s current ethics investigators and judges have persisted among observers, particularly when compared with the era a decade ago that led to the removal of former president Sepp Blatter. Infantino’s public statements over the past year have included overt praise for Trump, and in October he declared on Instagram that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.
Infantino has maintained a close alignment with U.S. authorities as preparations continue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico and is projected to generate more than $10 billion for FIFA. Political leaders of all three host nations joined Infantino on stage during the tournament draw last Friday in Washington, D.C., shortly after Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. Following a video presentation about Trump, Infantino said: “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 but you obtained it in an incredible way and you can always count, Mr. President, on my support.”
In a November interview at the American Business Forum in Miami, Infantino added: “We should all support what [Trump] is doing [in the U.S.] because I think it’s looking pretty good.” FairSquare’s complaint also cited an Instagram post shared by Infantino on January 20, the day of Trump’s 2017 inauguration, in which he concluded a video message with: “Together we will make not only America great again, but also the entire world.”
FairSquare argued that awarding a peace prize to a sitting political leader constitutes “a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality,” noting that FIFA has not explained how the prize was created. Individuals familiar with internal processes told the organisation they only learned about the prize from media reports. FairSquare wrote that “If Mr. Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority this should be considered an egregious abuse of power.”
The organisation has previously challenged FIFA on several governance and human rights matters, including the human rights record of 2034 World Cup host Saudi Arabia, the influence of Aramco as a top-tier sponsor, FIFA’s governance standards, and delays in investigating issues tied to football teams from Israeli settlements participating in national competitions.
