FIFA chief accused of breaking ethics rules after Trump peace prize award
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President Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Washington, D.C., last week at the draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was reported to the soccer world governing body's ethics investigators over his public support for President Trump and a peace prize awarded to the U.S. leader, a human rights nonprofit announced Tuesday.
The big picture: Infantino has said he considers Trump "a close friend" and said at the 2026 soccer World Cup draw in D.C. last Friday he was awarding him the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize for his "unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity."
- FairSquare co-director Nick McGeehan said on Bluesky that the nonprofit that's based in London, U.K., submitted a complaint with the FIFA Ethics Committee, calling for an investigation into Infantino.
- It alleges "repeated breaches" of the organization's Code of Ethics, "which requires football officials remain politically neutral" in dealing with governments, according to McGeehan.
What we're watching: It wasn't immediately clear whether the FIFA Ethics Committee would investigate the complaint and representatives for the organization did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Context: FIFA requires that anyone bound by its ethics code "remain politically neutral."
- Those who violate this "Duty of Neutrality" requirement face a ban from soccer of up to two years.
Go deeper: "Great honors of my life": Trump wins FIFA Peace Prize after Nobel snub
