FIFA chief accused of breaching neutrality after giving Donald Trump peace prize

Human rights group FairSquare has filed a formal complaint to FIFAs ethics committee, alleging that world football president Gianni Infantino violated the organisations neutrality rules by endorsing US President Donald Trump. The controversy stems from Infantino awarding Trump FIFAs first-ever Peace Prize during the December 6 draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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In its complaint, FairSquare argues that the award itself represents a serious ethical breach. The group says granting a peace prize to a “sitting political figure is in and of itself a clear breach” of Article 15 of FIFAs code of ethics, which prohibits officials from expressing political preferences.

FairSquare also targeted the way FIFA is being run. Calling the current leadership system “absurd”, the NGO accused Infantino of undermining the organisations integrity and acting against the interests of global football.

“This complaint is about a lot more than Infantinos support for President Donald Trumps political agenda,” FairSquare programme director Nicholas McGeehan said. “This is about how FIFAs absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly flout the organisations rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly contrary to the interests of the worlds most popular sport.”

The NGO has also asked the committee to investigate how the FIFA Peace Prize was created and why Trump was selected. It highlighted Infantinos previous praise for Trump, including his public plea in October that the US President be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, along with three other political statements favourable to him.

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