Human rights group FairSquare files FIFA ethics complaint, alleging president Gianni Infantino breached neutrality by awarding Donald Trump a peace prize
LAUSANNE: Human rights organisation FairSquare has filed a formal complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee.
The complaint alleges FIFA president Gianni Infantino breached his duty of neutrality by supporting US President Donald Trump.
Infantino awarded Trump FIFA’s inaugural peace prize during the December 6 draw for the 2026 World Cup.
FairSquare also labelled FIFA’s governance structure as “absurd” in the complaint filed on Monday.
The group claimed the organisation’s behaviour was against the common interests of the global football community.
“This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda,” said FairSquare’s programme director Nicholas McGeehan.
“More broadly this is about how FIFA’s absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly flout the organisation’s rules.”
FairSquare stated awarding the peace prize to a “sitting political figure is in and of itself a clear breach” of FIFA’s ethics code.
The group requested the ethics committee investigate Infantino’s role in creating the FIFA Peace Prize.
It also called for a probe into the decision to award it to Trump.
The NGO highlighted Infantino’s October plea for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
It noted the Swiss official made statements on three other occasions favourable to Trump’s political agenda.
FIFA confirmed receipt of the complaint when contacted but declined further comment. – AFP
