Gianni Infantino is facing a formal complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee after the human rights group FairSquare alleged that the president breached the governing body’s political neutrality rules during recent public endorsements of United States president Donald Trump.
The complaint, seen by BBC Sport, centres on Infantino’s decision to present Trump with the inaugural Fifa peace prize at last week’s 2026 World Cup draw in Washington DC. FairSquare claims Infantino has “committed four clear breaches” of Fifa’s neutrality regulations through his comments, public appearances and social media activity.
“The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is in, and of itself, a clear breach of Fifa’s duty of neutrality,” FairSquare wrote in its letter. “The Fifa president does not have the authority to unilaterally dictate the organisation’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values.”
Infantino stood alongside Trump during the ceremony at the Kennedy Center, where the tournament draw for the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was unveiled. Trump received a large golden trophy, a medal and a certificate. During his speech, Infantino praised Trump, saying “this is what we want from a leader” and adding, “you can always count, Mr President, on my support”.
FairSquare’s complaint also references Infantino’s previous public statements. In October he posted on Instagram that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize. A month later, at the American Business Forum in Miami, he said, “we should all support what [Trump] is doing [in the US] because I think it is looking pretty good”.
The group further alleges that an Instagram video posted by Infantino in January, after he was invited to Trump’s inauguration, “indicates support for President Trump’s political agenda”.
Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s programme director, said the issue goes beyond individual posts or praise. “This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda,” he said. “More broadly this is about how Fifa’s absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly flout the organisation’s rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly contrary to the interests of the world’s most popular sport.”
