European lawmakers demand FIFA probe into Trump Peace Prize
Fifty European lawmakers have called on FIFA to investigate Gianni Infantino’s decision to award Donald Trump its inaugural Peace Prize, increasing scrutiny of the governing body’s political neutrality and internal governance.
Fifty members of the European Parliament have urged FIFA to address an ethics complaint against president Gianni Infantino over his decision to award Donald Trump the governing body’s inaugural Peace Prize.The lawmakers have written to Infantino, the FIFA Council, general secretary Mattias Grafström and the investigatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee.Their intervention increases pressure on FIFA to explain how the prize was created, why Trump was selected and whether the process complied with the organisation’s neutrality and governance rules.The letter includes signatories from 10 European Union countries and asks FIFA to demonstrate that it continues to uphold fairness, equality and respect for human dignity.The dispute relates to the award presented to Trump during the World Cup draw in Washington in December 2025.Infantino gave the US president a trophy, medal and certificate during the televised event, placing the ceremony within one of FIFA’s most commercially significant global broadcasts.The lawmakers are supporting a complaint filed by governance and human rights organisation FairSquare with FIFA’s Ethics Committee.FairSquare alleges that Infantino committed repeated breaches of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality through public support for Trump and his policies.The organisation has also requested an investigation into the internal process used to establish the Peace Prize and select its first recipient.FIFA’s statutes require the governing body to remain neutral in political and religious matters, while its Code of Ethics places similar obligations on senior officials.The complaint cites several public interventions by Infantino, including his support for Trump receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and remarks encouraging backing for the US president’s political programme.It also points to Infantino’s appearance at the World Cup draw, where he praised Trump’s foreign policy record and offered his personal support.FairSquare accepts that FIFA must maintain a working relationship with the US government because the country is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico.FIFA depends on federal and local authorities for security, visas, transport, taxation and the delivery of matches across 11 US host cities.The complaint argues that those operational requirements do not permit FIFA’s president to publicly endorse a political leader or their domestic and foreign policies.The case also raises questions over whether the FIFA Council approved the creation of the Peace Prize.No public nomination process, judging panel or selection criteria were disclosed before Trump received the award.Reports have indicated that council members and FIFA vice-presidents were not consulted, increasing scrutiny of how much authority remains concentrated around the presidency.The complaint has received support from the Norwegian Football Federation, whose president Lise Klaveness has said the neutrality issue should be assessed by the Ethics Committee.The involvement of a FIFA member association and 50 European lawmakers turns the dispute into a broader test of the governing body’s institutional safeguards.FIFA’s Ethics Committee can investigate possible breaches and impose sanctions ranging from warnings and fines to bans from football-related activity.Opening an investigation would not establish wrongdoing, but it would require the committee to examine whether Infantino’s conduct and the award process complied with FIFA rules.The issue also carries commercial risk because FIFA’s sponsors and broadcasters rely on the governing body to maintain political independence across diverse international markets.An unresolved complaint involving the FIFA president could affect confidence among partners with their own governance, human rights and political engagement policies.FIFA has not yet provided a substantive public response to the lawmakers’ request.The next decision rests with the investigatory chamber, which must determine whether to open a formal case or explain why the complaint does not warrant further action.