European Politicians Demand FIFA Address Ethics Complaint

A group of 50 MEPs urges FIFA to investigate ethics complaints against President Infantino following Trump’s FIFA Peace Prize award.

Fifty members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have written to FIFA demanding that the organization address an ethics complaint against its President Gianni Infantino over the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2025.

An official complaint was filed with FIFA’s Ethics Committee in December, alleging multiple breaches of FIFA’s obligation of political neutrality by Infantino. The FairSquare complaint has garnered support from the Norwegian Football Association, whose president, Lise Klaveness, criticized the decision to award the prize without consulting the FIFA Council. She stated, “It should also be assessed if it’s a breach of political neutrality. That will be up to the ethical committee to assess.”

The letter sent by the MEPs, which was shared with The Athletic, urges FIFA to investigate the earlier complaint lodged by FairSquare. It was co-signed by a diverse group of MEPs representing countries including the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Denmark, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. Prominent organizers included Irish MEP Barry Andrews, Dutch MEP Lara Wolters, and Danish MEP Niels Fuglsang.

The FairSquare complaint, which spans eight pages and has been reviewed by The Athletic, was directed to FIFA’s Ethics Committee. This committee, designated as FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee, is tasked primarily with investigating potential infringements of FIFA’s Code of Ethics.

The Ethics Committee consists of investigatory and adjudicatory chambers, with representation from countries including Rwanda, China, Canada, Malaysia, Greece, Kenya, Argentina, Vanuatu, and Panama. The committee, chaired by Rwandan Martin Ngoga, holds the authority to enact sanctions for breaches of FIFA’s rules and regulations, which can range from warnings and reprimands to fines and suspensions from football-related activities.

Within the complaint are four specific alleged breaches by Infantino regarding FIFA’s requirement of neutrality, as outlined in article 15 of its Code of Ethics, matters that relate to Infantino’s public support of President Trump.

The first breach pertains to Infantino’s public lobbying for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize earlier in 2025. Trump had previously expressed that he believed he deserved the award, but anticipated it would not be granted to him. On October 9, a day before the Nobel Prize announcement, Infantino posted on Instagram that, “President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions.” The Nobel Peace Prize that year was awarded to Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado instead.

The second breach occurred on November 5, when Infantino defended Trump at the America Business Forum in Miami, where Trump had also appeared. Infantino described Trump as “a really close friend,” and said, “I think we should all support what he’s doing because I think it’s looking pretty good.” The complaint asserts that such statements represent a clear political position.

The third alleged breach took place during the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in December, where Infantino presented Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize. The complaint argues that the introduction of Trump echoed claims from Trump and the White House regarding his global impact, without considering the validity of those claims.

Lastly, the complaint cites a video posted by Infantino on January 20, 2025, thanking Trump for his invitation to a pre-inauguration rally. Infantino concluded the video by stating, “Together we will make not only America great again but also the entire world.” This language mirrored Trump’s campaign slogan and is seen as a breach of political neutrality.

The FairSquare complaint acknowledges that FIFA must cooperate with the U.S. government as a co-host of the men’s World Cup, but warns that such engagements must be consistent with the ethical duty of neutrality, which requires impartiality in political matters. The final part of the complaint requests an investigation into the internal processes that led to the establishment of the FIFA Peace Prize. It points out that neither the FIFA Council nor vice-presidents were consulted before the award was announced.

The complaint asserts that awarding a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader breaches FIFA’s duty of neutrality and that such decisions should originate from the FIFA Council, as stated in FIFA’s statutes.