EU lawmakers demand FIFA probe Infantino over Trump peace prize
Fifty members of the European Parliament have called on FIFA to address an ethics complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino for awarding Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December 2025. Lawmakers say Infantino may have breached FIFA's political neutrality rules and want the Ethics Committee to investigate. The letter, sent Monday and reported by The Athletic, adds political pressure as the 2026 World Cup unfolds across North America.
Key Takeaways
- Fifty MEPs signed a letter urging FIFA's Ethics Committee to investigate Gianni Infantino over the Trump peace prize.
- The move backs a December 2025 complaint filed by advocacy group FairSquare alleging repeated neutrality breaches.
- Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural prize on Dec. 5, 2025, during the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., without consulting the FIFA Council.
- Signatories span Ireland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Slovakia and Luxembourg.
- FIFA acknowledged FairSquare's complaint in December but had not responded to the MEPs' letter as of Monday.
Why are European politicians targeting the FIFA president?
Lawmakers argue that when the FIFA president publicly favours one head of state over another, it undermines the tournament's unifying purpose. Renew MEP Barry Andrews, who wrote the letter alongside Dutch MEP Lara Wolters and Denmark's Niels Fuglsang, told POLITICO that the World Cup "is supposed to unite the world."
"When FIFA President Infantino favours one President over another, this brings FIFA and the whole tournament into disrepute," Andrews said. Irish MEPs including Andrews were among the signatories, with The Irish Times reporting the group described Trump's award as "the most troubling development" of the 2026 World Cup.
What does the ethics complaint allege?
The MEPs' letter supports a formal complaint FairSquare filed with FIFA's Ethics Committee on Dec. 8, 2025, three days after Infantino presented Trump with the prize during the World Cup draw. FairSquare accused Infantino of repeated breaches of FIFA's Code of Ethics through public comments and actions relating to Trump.
The complaint cites four alleged neutrality violations, including Infantino's public praise of Trump, remarks at a U.S. business forum where he described Trump as a close friend, and a social media post that appeared to endorse Trump-era political slogans. MEPs also questioned the process behind creating and awarding the prize, which critics say Infantino launched without informing the FIFA Council.
What happens next for FIFA and Infantino?
The correspondence was sent to FIFA's Council, general secretary Mattias Grafstrom and its investigatory chamber. MEPs stressed that FIFA must demonstrate commitment to fairness, equality and respect for human dignity, and called for full transparency over how the prize was conceived and awarded.
Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness had already criticised the lack of consultation with FIFA's Council, warning that neutrality rules may have been compromised. Andrews said lawmakers are "merely asking for the FIFA Ethics Committee to fully investigate the awarding of the inaugural FIFA Peace prize to President Trump, and to ensure that due process is done." For more on governance controversies in global sport, see our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries coverage.