Report: FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused of ethics breach

LOS ANGELES – A worldwide advocacy group has filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee citing a lack of impartiality from president Gianni Infantino, as well as the political nature of last week’s 2026 World Cup draw, The Athletic reported on Tuesday.

Centre to the complaint is Infantino’s effusive praise of United States President Donald Trump, as well as world football’s governing body bestowing a first-of-its-kind FIFA Peace Prize on Mr Trump.

FIFA, which is set to conduct the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, has always prided itself as “neutral in matters of politics and religion”.

The non-profit group FairSquare, which filed the complaint, says it is dedicated to accountability in sports in regard to labor migration and political repression. It wants FIFA’s independent committee to review the actions on full display during Friday’s World Cup draw that selected the spots for the 48 teams who will participate in next summer’s tournament.

President Trump was on hand for the ceremony, along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. But it was Mr Trump who received the most attention during the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

FIFA announced the formation of its peace prize last month “to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world”.

Infantino presented Mr Trump with a gold trophy, a gold medal and a certificate.

FIFA also played a video that touched on some of Trump’s efforts toward peace.

“He supported efforts to broker ceasefires and promote diplomatic engagement, actions that helped create conditions in which peace could take root,” FIFA said in the video.

In the complaint, FairSquare cited FIFA’s own standards on neutrality to “remain politically neutral... in dealings with government institutions”. The group also pointed to Infantino lobbying on social media earlier this year for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

It was one of multiple breaches of ethics, and betrayals of neutrality referenced in the complaint.

Disciplinary action from the FIFA Ethics Committee can include a warning, a reprimand and even a fine. Compliance training can be ordered, while a ban also can be levied on participation in football-related activity.

In other news, Egypt’s Football Association said it had sent a letter to FIFA urging the body to prevent any LGBTQ+ Pride-related activities during their World Cup match against Iran in Seattle next June.

The EFA argues in the letter that such events would clash with the cultural and religious values of the nations participating in the match – Egypt and Iran both impose severe penalties on LGBTQ+ people.

The fixture on June 26 has been designated by local organisers as a “Pride Match” to coincide with Seattle’s Pride weekend. REUTERS