Fifty MEPs in turn urged FIFA to investigate Gianni Infantino’s awarding of a “peace prize” to Donald Trump, supporting a request made in December by the human rights organization FairSquare.
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“The letter constitutes the most significant intervention by European politicians against governance abuses and rule violations at the top of world football (soccer) since the European Parliament called on Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter, to resign in 2015,” FairSquare wrote on Friday.
In a letter dated Monday, 50 elected officials from 13 European countries, mainly social democrats, liberals and greens, “urge the FIFA ethics committee to carry out with the greatest speed and sincerity” the investigation requested for almost seven months by the British NGO.
“While the eyes of the whole world are focused on FIFA this summer”, in the middle of the 2026 World Cup, this request “represents an opportunity for FIFA to demonstrate its commitment to political neutrality, transparency and accountability”, write the signatories, led by the Irishman Barry Andrews, the Dutchman Lara Wolters and the Dane Niels Fuglsang.
Supported at the beginning of June by the Norwegian football federation – the only one among the 211 member nations of FIFA -, FairSquare accuses world football boss Gianni Infantino of violating his “duty of neutrality”, established by article 15 of the body’s code of ethics, to favor Donald Trump.
The NGO asks in particular the ethics commission to “examine the circumstances” surrounding the award last November to the American president of an unprecedented “FIFA peace prize”, the criteria and modalities of which have never been clarified by the football body.
More broadly, FairSquare had singled out Gianni Infantino’s plea in October for Donald Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize, or his comments favorable to his domestic policy. “By clearly supporting President Trump’s political program at the national and international level”, his attitude threatens “the integrity and reputation of football and of FIFA itself”, deplored the organization.
Asked by AFP on Friday, FIFA did not comment on the letter from European parliamentarians. In substance, she never responded to FairSquare’s request nor to the criticism surrounding the “peace price”.
