Gianni Infantino: Democrats ask to quiz Fifa boss over Trump ‘corruption’ allegations
Democrats have launched a bid to haul Fifa boss Gianni Infantino before US legal chiefs and question over potential corruption in its links to President Trump’s administration.
Rep Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary Committee has written to Infantino requesting that he appear before them to discuss “Fifa’s brazen campaign to curry favor with Donald Trump”, The Athletic reported.
Raskin has also demanded a list of any gifts given to Trump or his associates, visitor logs for Fifa’s New York and Miami offices and put the organisation on notice to preserve any communications between personnel for Fifa and Trump.
It comes after Fifa’s last two major tournaments, this summer’s World Cup and last year’s Club World Cup, were held mostly in the US. The build-up and duration of both events were marked by Trump’s presence at Infantino’s side for key moments.
On Monday, Infantino took aim at those who criticised aspects of the World Cup, such as visa difficulties for players and officials and Trump’s claimed intervention in suspending a ban for USA player Folarin Balogun, calling them “consumed with hate”.
Raskin questioned Fifa’s leasing of office space in Trump Tower in New York and creation of the Fifa Peace Prize, awarded to Trump last year.
“Over the past 18 months, you invented a hilariously fake ‘Fifa Peace Prize’ to award to President Trump, who has made no secret of the fact that he covets the Nobel Peace Prize,” the letter states.
“These actions appear designed to induce President Trump and his Administration to make decisions in Fifa’s favor.”
White House dismisses Democrat probe
Raskin cannot compel Infantino to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, which has oversight of all federal laws, the Department of Justice and the FBI, as Democrats are in the minority but that could change with this year’s midterm elections.
In response to the letter, sent on Sunday, a White House spokesperson dismissed Raskin as “lightweight” and “a stupid person’s idea of a smart person”.
They added to The Athletic: “No other president in history could have pulled off the historic feat that President Trump delivered for the American people and the world.
“Thanks to his bold vision and decisive leadership, the 2026 Fifa World Cup generated billions of dollars in revenue, created a massive economic boost across host cities, and delivered a safe, secure, and seamless experience for millions of fans and athletes from around the globe.
“It will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest and most successful sporting events in history.”
Infantino has already escaped an investigation from the International Olympic Committee after it ruled that an official complaint that alleged he breached obligations on political impartiality were outside of its remit.
Following Infantino’s broadside at critics on Monday, Javier Tebas, the outspoken president of Spain’s LaLiga, wrote on social media: “When a leader dedicates an entire message to disqualifying those who exercise legitimate scrutiny, it’s inevitable to wonder… why precisely now? Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don’t know about?”