FIFA's Infantino faces ethics complaints over alleged Trump ties

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is under growing international pressure over allegations that his political support for U.S. President Donald Trump violated FIFA's ethics rules on neutrality. Human rights group Fair Square said it is preparing to file a complaint with the International Olympic Committee, following a December 2025 submission to the FIFA Ethics Committee. The complaint cites repeated alleged breaches of Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which requires political impartiality and can carry fines and up to two-year bans from football. Fair Square is also asking the IOC to examine the creation of the FIFA Peace Award and its presentation to Trump, including whether the decision followed official procedures or was taken on Infantino's personal initiative. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020, a position that the group says could extend any future inquiry to Olympic institutions. Separately, dozens of members of the European Parliament are gathering support for an ethics complaint over FIFA's decision to overturn the red card given to U.S. forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup round-of-16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lawmakers argue the ruling harmed sporting justice and was made under pressure from the Trump administration, and they are urging EU national federations to seek an Ethics Committee investigation. FIFA has said the Balogun decision was taken by its Disciplinary Committee independently of the president's office. No further details were immediately available on the timing of the planned IOC complaint.