Human rights activist group FairSquare have made an official complaint to FIFA, alleging that president Gianni Infantino broke his own organization’s pledge for political neutrality with comments about U.S. president Donald Trump.
Infantino and Trump have done little to play down their ever-strengthening alliance. “You’ve been my great friend, and it’s an honor,” the leader of United States told Infantino on one of his numerous visits to the White House across both his presidential terms. Trump has also hailed his FIFA counterpart as “sort of the king of soccer,” but it is the comments Infantino has made which have come under scrutiny.
The figure at the head of world soccer’s governing body has been accused of breaking FIFA’s own ethics codes, with his fulsome praise of Trump supposedly a breach of the non-political stance. FairSquare are also calling for a formal investigation into the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize which was given to the U.S. president.
“This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda,” FairSquare programme director Nicholas McGeehan wrote on the non-profit organization’s own website.
“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.”
What Has Infantino Said About Trump?
FairSquare have specifically flagged four quotes from Infantino about Trump in 2025. It appears that the final straw appears to have come during Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw, when Infantino prefaced the protracted procedure by lauding the 45th and 47th president of the United States.
This is what we want from a leader ... you definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action for what you have obtained in your way but you obtained it in an incredible way and you can always count Mr. President on my support.Gianni Infantino, Dec. 5, 2025
Jumping back to November of this year, Infantino, who had been invited in his capacity as FIFA president, told the American Business Forum in Miami:
In the end he [Trump] was elected based on the program, based on what he said. He is just implementing what he said he would do, so I think we should all support what he’s doing because I think it’s looking pretty good.Gianni Infantino, Nov. 5, 2025
Infantino has also lobbied on the behalf of Trump on his own Instagram account. In October, the Swiss chief claimed that “President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize” for his role in the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Having been invited to Trump’s presidential inauguration rally in January 2025, Infantino posted a video which saw him declare:
Together we will make not only America great again but also the entire world.Gianni Infantino, Jan. 20, 2025
FairSquare’s eight-page letter to FIFA’s ethics committe concluded: “In offering clear support for President Trump’s political agenda at home and abroad, Mr. Infantino has repeatedly breached his duty to remain politically neutral, and done so in a way that poses a clear threat to the integrity and reputation of football and of FIFA itself.”
Infantino Accused of ‘Circumventing’ the FIFA Council
Infantino doubled down on his unfailingly positive stance for Trump by handing him the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw. FairSquare have flagged several concerns about this procedure, requesting an investigation from FIFA’s Ethics Committee to examine whether the FIFA Council were consulted in the formation of the award.
FairSquare cite FIFA’s own statutes, which declare that anything to do with the organization’s “mission, strategic direction, policies and values” must come under the view of FIFA’s Council.
What Punishment Could Infantino Face?
In the unlikely event that any investigation actually takes place—and the even more remote scenario that results in a punishment for Infantino—there are a range of sanctions.
The FIFA president could theoretically receive anything from a warning to a ban from any football-related activity. Infantino may also face the prospect of a fine or compliance training, but whether he even addresses the official complaint remains to be seen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as FIFA President Gianni Infantino Accused of Breaking Own Rules Over President Trump.