February 23, (THEWILL) — Football’s global governing body, FIFA, has confirmed that its president, Gianni Infantino, has been cleared of wrongdoing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following a review into whether he violated rules requiring political neutrality through his public alignment with United States president Donald Trump.
The scrutiny stems from two notable incidents. Infantino created a FIFA Peace Prize and presented it to Trump at last year’s World Cup draw. Trump later invited Infantino to the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., where Infantino was photographed wearing a red cap bearing “USA” and “45-47” in reference to Trump’s two presidential terms.
IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, learned of Infantino’s involvement only when journalists raised it during a Winter Olympics press conference. She noted that the IOC charter obliges members to remain independent of political and commercial interests and prohibits them from accepting instructions from governments or organisations that could influence their freedom of action or vote.
The IOC concluded swiftly that no violation had taken place. An IOC spokesperson confirmed that FIFA’s presence at the Board of Peace gathering related to a football recovery investment programme for Gaza, covering sporting infrastructure, education and elite development, which the IOC deemed consistent with the role of an international sports federation.
The Board of Peace meeting drew delegations from 50 countries to discuss Trump’s proposal for a seven-billion-dollar reconstruction fund for Gaza. Infantino attended to formalise a partnership between FIFA and the Board of Peace, under which football infrastructure will be developed in post-conflict areas, including a 20,000-capacity national stadium to be contracted within three years.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
