Infantino under fire over Trump support as Peace Prize stunt and red‑card row fuel IOC complaint

MIAMI, July 8 — Fifa president Gianni Infantino is staring down fresh trouble after rights group FairSquare said it will haul him before the International Olympic Committee (IOC), accusing him of trampling political neutrality rules by cheerleading for United States president Donald Trump.

According to Reuters, FairSquare said it intends to lodge a complaint with the IOC over Infantino’s “repeated breach of political neutrality rules,” escalating a row that has already seen Fifa’s own ethics machinery dragged in.

Infantino, who has held IOC membership since 2020, now faces scrutiny beyond football’s corridors.

“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.

The group argues Infantino’s conduct violates Article 15 of the Fifa Code of Ethics, which demands political neutrality from officials. Breaches can mean fines of at least 10,000 Swiss francs (RM56,000) and bans of up to two years from football‑related activity.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry said on Tuesday no complaint had yet been received but added: “Obviously, if they do, they would look into it.”

Fifa’s Secretariat of the Investigatory Chamber acknowledged receiving FairSquare’s complaint in December but has given “no indication” that an investigation has begun, according to the group.

FairSquare last week said 50 Members of the European Parliament had thrown their weight behind its complaint to Fifa’s Ethics Committee. The Norwegian Football Federation also joined in.

At the World Cup, controversy deepened when Fifa overturned American striker Folarin Balogun’s red‑card ban, clearing him to play against Belgium after Trump personally pressed Infantino to intervene. The United States lost the last‑16 tie 4‑1. Infantino, however, denied any role in the final decision, Reuters reported.