Public Interest SA Lodges Formal Ethics Complaint Against FIFA President Infantino Over Peace Prize Award to U.S. President Trump
- Digital Comms Team
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Public Interest SA has today submitted a formal ethics complaint to the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, calling for a full investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s role in creating and awarding the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
The organisation argues that the circumstances surrounding the creation and awarding of the Prize raise profound ethical concerns, directly implicating FIFA’s duties of political neutrality, governance transparency, institutional integrity, and conflict-of-interest safeguards.
“Football belongs to the world — not to any single political figure or agenda,” said Public Interest SA Chairperson, Tebogo Khaas. “When decisions of global significance appear personally driven and politically partisan, they undermine FIFA’s legitimacy and erode football’s unifying character.”
Public Interest SA notes that there appears to have been no transparent nomination process, no independent evaluation, and no FIFA Council or committee oversight prior to Infantino’s awarding of the Peace Prize — strongly suggesting unilateral decision-making with global repercussions.
The complaint submitted to FIFA requests:
A formal ethics investigation into the Peace Prize decision and process;
Suspension of further awards pending adoption of transparent governance standards;
Consideration of sanctions if violations are confirmed; and
Public reaffirmation of FIFA’s neutrality and independence from global political dynamics.
Public Interest SA has placed FIFA on terms for a timeous response — requesting:
written acknowledgement within seven (7) days, and
a procedural update within twenty-one (21) days on how the complaint will be handled.
“FIFA’s responsibility to the global public demands stronger, not weaker, ethical leadership,” Khaas continued. “Accountability is not merely procedural — it is foundational to protecting football’s credibility.”
A summary briefing of the complaint has been shared with civil-society partners and stakeholder networks dedicated to safeguarding transparency and good governance in international sport.
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Media Enquiries: Public Interest SA Communications Unit
Email: media@publicinterest.org.za
