IOC Ethics Commission Rejects Complaint Against FIFA President Infantino

The reasoning is more detailed: The Commission found that the complaint "relates exclusively to the decisions of the international federation regarding its self-governance and its management – including its relations with the government – as well as to the implementation of the rules of its sport by the international federation, both of which fall outside the scope of the IOC Code of Ethics." "Consequently, the complaint does not fall within the jurisdiction of the IOC Ethics Commission. FairSquare has been informed accordingly," the statement said.

Background: FIFA Peace Prize for Trump

The background to the complaint is the awarding of a so-called FIFA Peace Prize by Infantino to Donald Trump in December 2025. FairSquare had already filed a submission against Infantino at the time and views this as a violation of neutrality obligations.

Parallel Proceeding at FIFA

In parallel to the IOC Ethics Commission, a similar complaint has also been lodged with FIFA's own Ethics Commission. There too, the central issue is whether Infantino violated political neutrality obligations by awarding the prize to Trump. A result in this FIFA proceeding has yet to be issued.

The rejection by the IOC does not mean that the allegations against Infantino are off the table. The FIFA Ethics Commission is an independent body and can assess the matter independently of the IOC.

Reactions and Open Questions

With its decision, the IOC clearly refers responsibility to the international federations. The IOC as the umbrella organization does not consider itself authorized to substantively review the decisions of individual federations such as FIFA, as long as they concern their self-governance, interpretation of rules, or relations with governments.

Legal experts see the decision as a signal for the autonomy of sports federations, but at the same time criticize that it leaves a gap in the oversight of political statements by federation leaders. The question of which standards should even apply to "peace prizes" has also not been answered uniformly so far.

The reporting on the decision was picked up on July 24, 2026, in programs including Deutschlandfunk. The report is based on a statement from the IOC Ethics Commission and on information provided by FairSquare.

It remains to be seen how the FIFA Ethics Commission will rule in the parallel proceeding. Should it confirm the neutrality violations, sanctions against Infantino could follow immediately. Should it likewise reject the complaint, the path for FairSquare to bring the matter before ordinary courts or other international bodies would potentially be open.