An international advocacy group has filed a complaint with FIFA’s ethics committee, citing the lack of impartiality of the organization’s president, Gianni Infantino, as well as the political nature of last week’s 2026 World Cup draw, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
At the center of the complaint is Infantino’s effusive praise of US President Donald Trump, as well as world football’s governing body awarding Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize of its kind.
FIFA, which will host the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, has always prided itself on being “neutral in matters of politics and religion.”
The nonprofit group FairSquare, which filed the complaint in an eight-page letter, says it is dedicated to holding sports accountable for labor migration and political repression. He wants FIFA’s independent committee to review the actions highlighted in Friday’s World Cup draw that selected the places for the 48 teams that will take part in next summer’s tournament.
President Trump attended the ceremony, alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. But it was Trump who received the most attention at the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
FIFA announced last month the creation of its Peace Prize “to recognize individuals who have undertaken exceptional and extraordinary actions in the cause of peace and, in doing so, united people around the world.”
Infantino presented Trump with a gold trophy, a gold medal and a certificate.
“This is your price, this is your price of peace,” Infantino told Trump.
FIFA released a video discussing some of Trump’s peace efforts.
“He supported efforts to negotiate ceasefires and promote diplomatic engagement, actions which helped create the conditions in which peace could take root,” FIFA said in the video.
In the complaint, FairSquare cited FIFA’s own neutrality standards to “remain politically neutral…in dealings with government institutions.” The group also highlighted Infantino’s lobbying on social media earlier this year for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado finally received the Nobel Peace Prize.
This was one of multiple ethical breaches and betrayals of neutrality cited in the complaint.
Disciplinary measures from the FIFA Ethics Committee can include a warning, a reprimand and even a fine. Compliance training may be ordered, while a ban may also be imposed regarding participation in football-related activities.
–Field level media
