Gianni Infantino: Fifa president accused of breaking rules after giving Donald Trump peace prize
“The FIFA president has no authority to unilaterally dictate the organisation’s mission, strategic direction, policies and values.”
BBC Sport has contacted football’s world governing body for comment.
Infantino and Trump stood side by side at the spectacular ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the tournament, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In his speech following the pre-presentation video, Trump received a large gold trophy, as well as a medal and certificate from Infantino, who said, “This is what we want in a leader” and “Mr. President, you can always count on my support.”
In October, the 55-year-old posted on Instagram saying Trump “absolutely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.
In an interview at the American Business Forum in Miami in November, Infantino added: “What should we all support? [Trump] doing [in the US] Because I think it looks pretty good.”
FairSquare also claimed that a video post Infantino shared on Instagram in January, after he was invited to Trump’s inauguration, “demonstrated support for President Trump’s political agenda.”
Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s program director, added: “This complaint is about much more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
“More broadly, this is about how Fifa’s absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly breach the organisation’s rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly contrary to the interests of the world’s most popular sport.”
