Gianni Infantino: Fifa president accused of breaking rules after giving Donald Trump peace prize

“The Fifa president does not have the 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 during the glittering ceremony at the Kennedy Center for next year’s tournament, which takes place in the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June-19 July.

As well as a large golden trophy, Trump received a medal and certificate from Infantino, who said “this is what we want from a leader” and “you can always count, Mr President, on my support” during a speech that followed a video before the presentation.

In October, the 55-year-old posted on Instagram saying Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize.

During an interview in November at the American Business Forum in Miami, Infantino also added: “We should all support what [Trump] is doing [in the US] because I think it’s looking pretty good.”

FairSquare also alleged a video post by Infantino on Instagram in January – following his invite to Trump’s inauguration – “indicates support for President Trump’s political agenda”.

Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s programme director, added: “This complaint is about a lot 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 flout 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.”

Source link