Published July 9, 2026
FIFA President Gianni Infantino could be investigated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the rights group announced plans to sue him for violating political neutrality rules through his support for US President Donald Trump.
Human rights group Fair Square has announced it will file a complaint with the IOC over Infantino’s “repeated violations of political neutrality rules”, further escalating a dispute that is already challenging FIFA’s own ethical processes.
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Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.
FairSquare filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee in December 2025, citing multiple instances in which Infantino “expressed public support for actions and policies” of President Trump.
“We also ask the Ethics Committee to investigate the decision to introduce the FIFA Peace Prize, Mr. Infantino’s role in the decision to award it to President Trump, and the compatibility of these processes with FIFA’s Rules of Procedure,” FairSquare said.
duty of neutrality
FairSquare’s complaint alleges that Infantino violated Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which stipulates the duty of neutrality.
Those bound by the code must remain politically neutral in official dealings, and violations face a fine of at least 10,000 Swiss francs (about $12,400) and a ban from soccer-related activities for up to two years.
The complaint also asks the Ethics Committee to investigate whether the decision to introduce the annual peace prize and award it to Trump in the World Cup draw was made by the FIFA board or unilaterally by Infantino himself.
“If Mr. Infantino acted unilaterally and without legal authority, this should be considered a gross abuse of power,” FairSquare said.
IOC ‘considers’ complaints
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Tuesday that the ethics committee had not received any complaints to consider, but added: “Obviously, if we receive a complaint we will look into it.”
According to Fair Square, FIFA’s Office of Investigations confirmed in December that it had received the complaint, but the international football federation said there was “no indication” that an investigation had begun.
According to Reuters, FIFA told Fair Square that its secretariat may launch a preliminary investigation into “possible violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics” based on instructions from the head of the Investigative Chamber.
However, the filing of a complaint does not guarantee the initiation of an ethics proceeding, and because the accuser is not a party to the proceeding, updates and additional information are not available due to confidentiality.
A week before the World Cup, FairSquare launched a public campaign called “Reboot,” aiming for a full-scale reform of FIFA.
Last week, FairSquare announced that 50 members of the European Parliament had written to FIFA’s Ethics Committee expressing support for the charges against Infantino.
The Norwegian Football Federation also formally supported the official complaint, asking the committee to assess whether Infantino had breached the governing body’s rules on political neutrality through the awarding of the Peace Prize and related actions.
At the recent World Cup, FIFA suspended American striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension for a red card and allowed him to play in the last-16 match against Belgium, which the United States lost 4-1, after President Trump personally urged Infantino to reconsider the incident.
However, Infantino denied any involvement in the final decision.
