The “FIFA Peace Prize” the football organization’s president Gianni Infantino awarded to US President Donald Trump on Friday, December 5, in Washington, during the final phase draw for the 2026 World Cup, continues to fuel controversy. FairSquare, the British NGO long critical of FIFA’s governance, has filed a complaint on December 8 against the head of the international body with FIFA’s so-called “independent” ethics committee.
According to the NGO, Infantino repeatedly violated Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which concerns the “duty of neutrality.” Under this regulation, FIFA officials are required “in dealings with governmental institutions, national and international organizations (…) [to] remain politically neutral.” Violations can result in a maximum suspension of two years. This principle of neutrality is also reiterated in FIFA’s statutes.
FairSquare argues that the FIFA president has committed “four clear breaches” of Article 15. The group accuses Infantino of publicly lobbying for President Trump to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on his Instagram account on October 9. Furthermore, the NGO noted that on November 5 in Miami, Florida, the head of world football publicly made comments about Trump, upon which “any reasonable interpretation (…) would conclude that [Infantino] a) encouraged people to support the political agenda of President Trump, and b) expressed his personal approval of President Trump’s political agenda.”
You have 66.58% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.