Infantino summoned to House Judiciary Committee as Trump relationship scrutinised

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FT Desk

A senior Democratic member of Congress has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, renewing efforts to examine the football governing body's ties to Donald Trump and the Trump administration.

Over the last 18 months, Infantino has grown closer to Trump and that has made many critics uncomfortable as FIFA is supposed to be a politically neutral organisation.

He has been accused of allowing FIFA to bow to the whims of Trump on a number of occasions, including not stepping in when a Somalian referee was denied a visa to enter North America even though he was set to officiate a number of 2026 World Cup matches, while the Iran squad was forced to relocate their home base to Mexico due to the ongoing conflict with the US.

There was, of course, the decision to present Trump with the inaugural FIFA 'Peace Prize' at the World Cup draw in December. It was seen as a way to massage the United States President's ego and in the months after receiving that award, he would order military action in Mexico, Venezuela and Iran, among other locations.

The incident that caused the most uproar, for right or wrong, was FIFA's decision to overturn USMNT striker Folarin Balogun's suspension to allow him to play for the host nation in the World Cup Round of 16 against Belgium.

Such an intervention had never happened before in the World Cup and it was seen as FIFA bending their rules to accommodate the needs of Trump, who personally contacted Infantino about the situation.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has now asked FIFA to hand over all records of its communications with President Trump, members of his administration and the Trump Organization, the president's family business, by 9 August 2026.

According to The Athletic, who have viewed the letter to FIFA, Rep. Raskin requests Infantino produce “a list of anything of value (including transfer of money, gifts, prizes, awards, or public appearances) given to President Trump, members of his Administration, or their family members, or any entity associated with them, such as The Trump Organization.”

The Congressman says his letter “serves as notice” for all communications to be preserved “between FIFA personnel and individuals affiliated with the Trump Administration or its inaugural committee — including disappearing messages exchanged on ephemeral communication platforms, such as Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, X, and Truth Social.”

Visitor logs from FIFA's offices in Miami and New York City, the latter being part of Trump Tower, must also be handed over.

The White House has responded to the request in typically brash fashion.

“Lightweight Jamie Raskin (is) a stupid person’s idea of a smart person,” spokesman Davis Ingle said 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 is under no obligation to appear before the committee, but the request indicates that he will fall under higher scrutiny should the Democrats take office, especially before the 2031 Women's World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States.

Another complaint coming

As well as a potential investigation by the European Parliament, Infantino will need to contend with an official complaint made to FIFA's Ethics Committee by the Norwegian FA.

Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness told The Times: “When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk. It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game.

“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process.

“We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.

“If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behaviour and the organisation’s behaviour, and also the red line of what states’ leaders should interfere with. And that happened.”

The NFF President added: “When you make controversial decisions, and when there has been an external, very powerful voice in your ear, it’s very important that you have more voices [making the decision]. And if you don’t, it’s a mistake.

“This case was so serious and so worrying that I hope that it might contribute to bring people out a little bit and don’t fear to bring up cases. I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss with my board, and then we do it. To me, it should be in the same sphere of ethical complaint.”

Klaveness said she is “disappointed but not necessarily surprised” about FIFA's lack of communication or acknowledgement of the issues that came with the decision to overturn the suspension.

“To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly,” she continued. “Too many felt this … coaches, players, fans … that this was too close to the game.”

The United States went on to lose the match to Belgium anyway, being eliminated as co-hosts in the last 16.

Klaveness also previously demanded the scrapping of the FIFA 'Peace Prize'.

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