Gianni Infantino faces ethics complaint over favours linked to Trump

A formal complaint has been filed with FIFA’s Ethics Committee accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of repeatedly breaching the organisation’s duty of political neutrality through public comments and actions in support of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The complaint, submitted by FairSquare, an advocacy group focused on labour rights and governance in global sport, also calls for an investigation into how Trump was selected as the inaugural winner of the newly created FIFA Peace Prize.

FairSquare’s eight-page submission outlines four incidents it says violate Article 15 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics, which requires officials to remain politically neutral in dealings with governments.

The first relates to Infantino’s public call in October for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for what he described as the president’s “decisive actions” in an Israel-Gaza ceasefire. FairSquare argues this amounted to a direct endorsement of Trump’s stance in a sensitive political conflict.

Another alleged breach occurred in November, when Infantino described Trump as a “really close friend” during an appearance at the America Business Forum in Miami. He urged the audience to “support what he’s doing,” comments the complaint says represent clear approval of Trump’s political agenda.

The third centres on Friday’s World Cup draw in Washington, where Infantino presented Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize and praised him on stage, telling the president: “You can always count on my support.” A video played during the event credited Trump with helping end multiple global conflicts, claims that have been widely disputed.

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The final allegation involves a January 2025 Instagram video in which Infantino thanked Trump for inviting him to a pre-inauguration rally and closed with: “Together we will make not only America great again but also the entire world”, language FairSquare says mirrors Trump’s political messaging.

FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.

Calls for probe into creation of the FIFA Peace Prize

FairSquare is also questioning the legitimacy of the FIFA Peace Prize itself, saying the award appears to have been created without consultation from the FIFA Council or any formal selection process. Human Rights Watch has similarly criticised the award, saying it has “no nominees, no criteria, no judges and no process.”

The organisation argues that awarding such a prize to a sitting political leader is inherently incompatible with FIFA’s neutrality obligations, especially ahead of a World Cup co-hosted by the United States.

The Ethics Committee, which has the authority to issue sanctions ranging from warnings to bans from football activities, has not yet indicated whether it will open a formal investigation.