A wave of European protests accuses Infantino of undermining FIFA's neutrality in service of Trump.

In the face of the flood of sports emotions presented by the 2026 World Cup, a wave of protest against the politicization of FIFA, embodied by the loyalty of its president Gianni Infantino to U.S. President Donald Trump, continues to quietly emerge from Europe.

On Friday, the human rights organization "Fair Square" published a letter sent by fifty European lawmakers to the football body, urging it to investigate "as quickly as possible" the granting of the "FIFA Peace Prize" to the American president by Infantino.

This newly established award was given in a celebratory atmosphere during the draw for the 2026 World Cup last December, which sparked ridicule and astonishment, without FIFA ever clarifying its criteria or the mechanism for awarding it.

This move was not isolated; in addition to Dana White, the president of the UFC (the leading global mixed martial arts league), Infantino was the only sports official present at Trump's inauguration in January 2025, and since then he has intensified his praise, to the extent of mentioning the domestic policies of the Republican president or calling for him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In February, the 56-year-old Italian-Swiss-Lebanese appeared at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council wearing a red hat emblazoned with "USA" and "45-47," referring to Donald Trump's terms, smiling broadly.

"Fair Square" stated on December 9 that Infantino's behavior, "with his clear support for President Trump's political agenda both nationally and internationally," threatens "the integrity and reputation of football and FIFA itself," noting that it has referred the matter to the ethics committee of the organization.

According to the British organization, which is simultaneously gathering a "class action" against Infantino, it stated on June 11 that the number of signatories reached 5,000 within a week, claiming that the president is violating the "duty of neutrality" stipulated in Article 15 of FIFA's Code of Ethics.