FIFA boss under fire after awarding Trump inaugural ‘Peace Prize'

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has landed in hot water after awarding the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw on December 6, 2025.

A human rights group FairSquare has submitted a complaint against Infantino with FIFA’s ethics committee over his actions that the group deems “harmful to the common interests of the global football community”.

Head of the London-based advocacy group, Nicholas McGeehan, said, “The FIFA head acted in ways that are both dangerous and contrary to the interests of the world’s most popular sport,” adding that their complaint goes beyond Infantino’s support for Trump’s political agenda.

An eight-page document filed by the group on Monday states that awarding the peace prize to a sitting political leader violates FIFA’s duty of neutrality, adding, “If the FIFA head acted alone, this should be considered abuse of power.”

This comes after Human Rights Watch also criticised the football body’s decision to award the prize to the U.S. president.

Many consider that the ethics committee does not work with as much independence and authority in recent years as it did decades ago.

It remains unclear if the ethics committee would even take up the complaint, but if deemed necessary, possible actions include a fine or a reprimand.