Fifty members of the European Parliament have called on FIFA’s ethics committee to investigate FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s decision to award US President Donald Trump a “peace prize.” The lawmakers sign a letter dated June 29, released by the UK-based sports human rights group FairSquare, which had earlier filed a complaint in December. The letter argues that FIFA’s code of ethics requires Infantino to remain politically neutral and asks FIFA to determine whether the creation of an annual “FIFA peace prize” and the subsequent award to Trump were decided by FIFA’s council or bureau or were taken unilaterally by Infantino. The lawmakers say the complaint offers FIFA an opportunity to demonstrate political neutrality, transparency, and accountability.
The sources also note that only Norway, whose football federation previously wrote to call for an investigation, has joined criticism so far among FIFA’s 211 member nations. In addition to the “peace prize” issue, the lawmakers’ letter criticizes FIFA’s ties to Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the 2034 World Cup, and a sponsorship deal with Saudi oil and gas company Aramco that they describe as problematic.
