A worldwide advocacy group has filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee citing a lack of impartiality from organization president Gianni Infantino, as well as the political nature of last week’s 2026 World Cup draw, The Athletic reported Tuesday.

Center to the complaint is Infantino’s effusive praise of United States President Donald Trump, as well as world soccer’s governing body bestowing a first-of-its-kind FIFA Peace Prize on Trump.

FIFA, which is set to conduct the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, has always prided itself as “neutral in matters of politics and religion.”

The non-profit group FairSquare, which filed the complaint in an eight-page letter, says it is dedicated to accountability in sports in regard to labor migration and political repression.

 It wants FIFA’s independent committee to review the actions on full display during Friday’s World Cup draw that selected the spots for the 48 teams who will participate in next summer’s tournament.

President Trump was on hand for the ceremony, along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. But it was Trump who received the most attention during the event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

FIFA announced the formation of its peace prize last month “to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”

Infantino presented Trump with a gold trophy, a gold medal and a certificate.

“This is your prize, this is your peace prize,” Infantino told Trump.

FIFA played a video that touched on some of Trump’s efforts toward peace.

“He supported efforts to broker ceasefires and promote diplomatic engagement, actions that helped create conditions in which peace could take root,” FIFA said in the video.

In the complaint, FairSquare cited FIFA’s own standards on neutrality to “remain politically neutral … in dealings with government institutions.” The group also pointed to Infantino lobbying on social media earlier this year for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado ultimately received the Nobel Peace Prize.

It was one of multiple breaches of ethics, and betrayals of neutrality referenced in the complaint.

Disciplinary action from the FIFA Ethics Committee can include a warning, a reprimand and even a fine. Compliance training can be ordered, while a ban also can be levied on participation in soccer-related activity.

-Reuters

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Visitors to the FIFA Museum can now take a fascinating journey through football’s technological evolution in the special exhibition titled “Innovation in Action: Football Technologies On and Off the Pitch.”

The exhibition, which runs until March 31, 2026, offers fans a rare chance to trace the game’s journey from stopwatch-based fitness tests to the sophisticated GPS and data-driven systems that shape modern football.

A highlight of the showcase is a newly rediscovered set of documents from 1970 – a detailed record of the Brazilian national team’s fitness tests conducted just months before the FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Among the findings is a Cooper Test assessment of legendary forward Pelé, who was rated “good” rather than “very good” — a reminder that even the game’s greatest icon was human, and approaching his fourth World Cup at nearly 30 years of age.

Typewritten pages on display capture an era when football coaches depended on stopwatches and human observation to track player performance.

Despite the modest score, Pelé went on to lead Brazil’s Seleção to an unprecedented third World Cup title that year, cementing his place in football history.

The typewritten pages on display show an era when coaches relied on manual data collection through stopwatches and human observation — a far cry from today’s real-time analytics and wearable performance trackers.

“Those papers represent one of football’s first steps towards science-based performance analysis,” a museum curator explained. “They remind us that innovation in football did not begin with technology, but with the curiosity to measure and improve.”

The Innovation in Action exhibition connects these early experiments to modern breakthroughs like Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), GPS technology, and advanced video analysis, which now monitor every player movement with millisecond precision.

Beyond gadgets and data, the exhibition also highlights how necessity has fueled football’s innovations — from tactical evolution to player conditioning and fan engagement.

Tickets purchased for the FIFA Museum before March 31, 2026, include full access to this special exhibition, giving visitors an opportunity to explore the scientific and cultural milestones that have shaped the beautiful game — from tracking Pelé to tracking players in real time.

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The National Institute for Sports (NIS) has announced plans to establish its South-West Zonal Office in Ogun State, citing the state’s outstanding commitment to sports development and youth empowerment.

The Director General of the institute, Philip Shaibu, made this known during a courtesy visit to Governor Dapo Abiodun at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, where both parties held what was described as a highly productive discussion on strengthening sports education and development across the region.

Shaibu disclosed that the decision was formalised in a letter to the governor dated October 10, 2025, in which the NIS outlined its ongoing institutional reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

These reforms, he said, include the digitisation of training systems, expansion of coaching certification programmes, and the establishment of sports science laboratories to enhance research and professional development.

He added that Ogun State’s strategic investment in youth and sports infrastructure, coupled with its historical role as the “Gateway to Nigeria,” made it a natural choice for hosting the zonal office that will serve the entire South-West region.

In his response, Governor Abiodun expressed delight at the development, describing it as a significant milestone in his administration’s efforts to promote grassroots sports and talent discovery.

“This decision aligns perfectly with our vision to make Ogun State a leading hub for sports excellence,” the governor said. “We are fully committed to supporting the National Institute for Sports in ensuring the successful take-off and operation of this zonal office.”

Governor Abiodun also reaffirmed this commitment in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, noting that the siting of the NIS Zonal Office in Abeokuta underscores Ogun State’s strategic importance in sports development and youth empowerment within the South-West geo-political zone.

He added: “We assure the NIS leadership of our government’s full cooperation and support toward the successful take-off of this zonal office. This initiative aligns with our vision to promote grassroots sports, talent development, and youth engagement. We look forward to a strong and enduring partnership with the National Institute for Sports as we continue to make Ogun State a true Gateway to sporting excellence and opportunities.”

The establishment of the NIS South-West Zonal Office is expected to further decentralise sports administration, enhance capacity building for coaches and athletes, and strengthen collaboration between the institute and state governments in the region.

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