Rights group files complaint over Infantino’s peace prize award to Trump
Human rights group FairSquare has filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee over Gianni Infantino’s decision to award Donald Trump a peace prize, raising questions over FIFA’s political neutrality.
A formal complaint has been filed against FIFA, accusing the world football governing body of violating its rules on political neutrality after Gianni Infantino awarded US President Donald Trump the organisation's inaugural peace prize last week.
Human rights group FairSquare lodged the complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee, arguing that the decision undermines the values and interests of football fans worldwide.
The controversy erupted after the World Cup 2026 draw on December 6 in Washington, D.C., which brought together leaders from the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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While the event was meant to kick off the tournament across the three North American nations, much of the spotlight fell on Trump, who was presented with a gold trophy, medal and certificate by FIFA.
The incident sparked debate over how FIFA is governed and whether it can remain politically neutral, with many questioning the message sent by giving awards to active political leaders.
"This is your prize; this is your peace prize," Infantino said during the presentation, which featured a video highlighting Trump's claimed contributions to global peace efforts.
According to FairSquare, awarding a FIFA award to a sitting political leader violates the organisation's principle of political neutrality.
"If Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be considered an egregious abuse of power," the rights group said.
Similarly, the group also criticised Infantino's prior lobbying on social media for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which ultimately went to Venezuela's Maria Corina Machado.
"This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino's support for Trump's political agenda," said Nicholas McGeehan, programme director at FairSquare.
"More broadly, this is about how FIFA's absurd governance structure has allowed 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," he added.
The Human Rights Watch has echoed FairSquare's concerns, noting that Trump's administration's "appalling human rights record certainly does not display exceptional actions for peace and unity."
Under FIFA regulations, the Ethics Committee can impose a range of disciplinary actions, including warnings, reprimands, fines, mandatory compliance training, or bans from participating in football-related activities.
However, it remains uncertain whether the committee will take up FairSquare's complaint. Infantino has not responded publicly to the development.
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