A rights group said on Wednesday it plans to lodge a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accusing FIFA President Gianni Infantino of repeatedly breaching rules that require political neutrality. The organization, FairSquare, says the complaint escalates a dispute that has already involved its challenge of FIFA’s own ethics procedures.
FairSquare’s action targets several issues, including instances where it says Infantino publicly expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump and the introduction and awarding of a FIFA Peace Prize. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020, a fact the complaint highlights as relevant to any potential IOC interest in the matter.
In December 2025, FairSquare filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee that cited multiple occasions in which Infantino "expressed his public support for the actions and policies" of President Trump, the rights group said. The earlier filing also asked FIFA’s ethics investigators to examine whether the creation of an annual FIFA Peace Prize and its subsequent award to President Trump followed FIFA’s procedural rules or were the result of individual action.
"It also requests that the Ethics Committee investigate Mr Infantino’s role in the decision to introduce a FIFA Peace Prize, the decision to award it to President Trump ... and the conformity of these processes with FIFA’s procedural rules," FairSquare said in its statement.
Duty of Neutrality and Potential Sanctions
FairSquare’s complaint points to Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which establishes a duty of neutrality for persons bound by the Code. The rules require those covered to remain politically neutral when acting in an official capacity. The FIFA Code makes clear that breaches can be punished by a fine of at least 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,378) and by a ban of up to two years from any football-related activity.
The complaint also asks FIFA’s Ethics Committee to determine whether the move to introduce an annual Peace Prize and the subsequent award to President Trump were decisions made collectively by the FIFA Council or whether Infantino acted on his own authority. In its filing FairSquare warned: "If Mr Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be considered an egregious abuse of power."
Response and Procedural Questions
IOC President Kirsty Coventry has said that, as of Tuesday, no complaint had been received for consideration by the IOC ethics commission, but added: "Obviously, if they do, they would look into it."
FIFA’s Secretariat of the Investigatory Chamber acknowledged receipt of FairSquare’s December complaint, yet FairSquare says the governing body has given "no indication" that an investigation has been opened. In a letter to FairSquare, FIFA stated that its secretariat may begin preliminary inquiries into a "potential breach of the FIFA Code of Ethics" only on the instructions of the Chairperson of the Investigatory Chamber.
FIFA’s communication also stressed that the mere filing of a complaint does not guarantee that formal ethics proceedings will be initiated. Complainants are not parties to any ensuing proceedings and, because those processes are confidential, there may be no updates or additional information provided to them.
Campaigning, Political Support and Football Decisions
FairSquare launched a public campaign called 'Reboot' one week before the World Cup began, framed as pushing for serious reform at FIFA. The rights group says that 50 Members of the European Parliament wrote to FIFA’s Ethics Committee in support of the complaint against Infantino. The Norwegian Football Federation has also formally backed the complaint, asking the Ethics Committee to assess whether the award of the Peace Prize and related conduct violated FIFA statutes concerning political neutrality.
FairSquare also points to a more recent episode at the World Cup. The governing body suspended the red-card ban of American striker Folarin Balogun and cleared him to play in the last-16 match against Belgium, a game the U.S. lost 4-1, after President Trump personally urged Infantino to review the case. Infantino has denied involvement in the final decision to lift the ban.
FIFA has been contacted for comment on the new complaint and on the status of any investigation.
($1 = 0.8079 Swiss francs)