Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, has launched an investigation into the relationship between FIFA—the governing body of international football—and U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. To this end, he has requested various documents from FIFA President Gianni Infantino and invited him to appear before Congress for an interview.
In a letter sent to Infantino on Sunday, Raskin requested records regarding all forms of communication, gifts, payments, or benefits exchanged between FIFA and Trump, his administration, and his close associates. He also demanded visitor logs for FIFA’s office at Trump Tower from the previous year. Furthermore, Raskin asked Infantino to participate in an interview to provide a formal account of these matters.
Criticism regarding the close relationship between Infantino and Trump emerged around this year’s FIFA World Cup. Last December, during the World Cup draw ceremony in Washington, Trump was awarded the newly established “FIFA Peace Prize.” Allegations also arose that renovations at the Kennedy Center were rushed to completion under administration orders to host the event. Prior to this, FIFA had opened a new office at Trump Tower in New York last July.
The controversy intensified during the World Cup. According to allegations, Trump contacted Infantino multiple times before the Round of 16 match against Belgium, seeking to overturn the red-card suspension of U.S. forward Folarin Balogun. Although FIFA subsequently lifted Balogun’s suspension, the incident sparked widespread controversy, with football associations from various countries expressing dissatisfaction.
Trump was present alongside the leaders of Canada and Mexico at the awards ceremony following the World Cup final—which ended with Argentina’s defeat to Spain. After watching the match from the VIP box with Infantino, the two were booed by a section of the crowd when they stepped onto the pitch.
In his letter, Raskin also referenced a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to drop charges against several individuals accused in investigations into global football corruption. This included the high-profile corruption case filed in 2015 against more than 20 former top FIFA officials and executives from sports marketing firms.
In the letter, Raskin stated that Infantino’s election as FIFA president had raised hopes of breaking away from a long-standing culture of corruption and scandal. However, he alleged that since taking office, Infantino has weakened FIFA’s ethical accountability framework and removed most members of the Ethics Committee. He claimed that this paved the way for a relationship with the Trump administration—described by a New York University law professor and former FIFA Ethics Committee member as “legalized bribery.”
The letter also questioned FIFA’s World Cup ticket sales policies. Attorneys General from several US states are currently investigating this matter. Many fans were unable to watch the games because ticket prices skyrocketed due to the “dynamic pricing” system used during the World Cup.
Raskin alleged that ordinary American citizens bore the cost of the recent understanding between FIFA and President Trump. He claimed that FIFA leveraged its closeness to the Trump administration to charge excessive prices and employ deceptive sales tactics for World Cup tickets.
The letter requested the submission of specified documents and the scheduling of an interview by August 9. However, as Democrats do not hold a majority in the House of Representatives, Raskin lacks the authority to compel Infantino to appear without Republican support.
FIFA is expected to maintain its engagement with the US government even after the World Cup concludes. The United States is a potential host for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. Additionally, following the success of this year’s tournament, there is talk of the country hosting the 2038 Men’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, in an Instagram post on Monday, Infantino accused critics of spreading hatred and misinformation. He hailed the current World Cup as a successful event.
Infantino has secured the support of over 200 member nations ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next March. However, a few football associations remain opposed to him. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Football Federation is preparing to file a formal complaint with FIFA’s ethics committee regarding Trump’s role in the lifting of Balogun’s ban.
