Report: FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused of ethics breach
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents United States President Donald Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw.
PHOTO: IMAGN IMAGES
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 Dec 9.
Centre to the complaint is his effusive praise of United States President Donald Trump, as well as football’s world governing body bestowing a first-of-its-kind FIFA Peace Prize
The non-profit group FairSquare which filed the complaint said FIFA has always prided itself as “neutral in matters of politics and religion”.
It added that it is dedicated to accountability in sports with regard to labour migration and political repression. It wanted FIFA’s independent committee to review the actions on full display during the Dec 5 draw that selected the spots for the 48 teams who will participate in next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Mr Trump was on hand for the ceremony, along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. But the 79-year-old received the most attention during the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
FIFA announced the formation of its peace prize in November “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 his efforts towards peace.
“He supported efforts to broker ceasefires and promote diplomatic engagement, actions that helped create conditions in which peace could take root,” it 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 in 2025 for Mr 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, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said it had sent a letter to FIFA
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 the local organisers as a “Pride Match” to coincide with Seattle’s Pride weekend. REUTERS
