On 19 January 2026 I reported on FIFA’s misguided effort to please President Trump with a suddenly created peace prize. See:
Now criticism within European football circles of FIFA has intensified after the president of the Norwegian Football Association, Liz Klavenes, called for the cancellation of the ‘Peace Prize’ arguing that the move constitutes a clear breach of the principle of political neutrality. Klavénes, who also sits on the Executive Committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), confirmed that she would raise this issue during the FIFA Congress, stressing the need for world football’s governing body to maintain a “distance” from political leaders.
In a notable escalation, Klavenis announced her support for an ethics complaint filed against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, over his role in awarding the trophy, amid accusations of breaching neutrality rules. According to The Athletic, the complaint — filed by the human rights organisation Fair Square — alleges that Infantino politically promoted a public figure whilst in office, as well as awarding a politically charged prize without a clear institutional process and bypassing official structures within FIFA, including the Congress. These findings suggest a possible breach of FIFA’s Code of Ethics, which requires its officials to maintain complete neutrality regarding political matters.
Klavinis believes that introducing politically charged awards into the global football system threatens the independence of the game, stressing that such initiatives must be carried out within clear institutional frameworks and free from personalisation or political agendas. She also stressed that FIFA’s credibility is linked to the extent of its commitment to the principles of transparency and governance, particularly in light of increasing international scrutiny of its decisions..
This issue is becoming increasingly sensitive as the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico approaches, placing the relationship between politics and football under the microscope.
Australian footballer Jackson Irvine said football’s credibility as a force for good has been undermined by FIFA, accusing it of making a mockery of its own Human Rights Policy. Irvine took aim at FIFA’s decision to give the Peace Prize to US President Trump. “As an organisation, you would have to say decisions like the one that we saw awarding this peace prize make a mockery of what they’re trying to do with the human rights charter and trying to use football as a global driving force for good and positive change in the world,” Irvine told the Reuters news agency.
The White House has pushed back strongly against criticism of Donald Trump receiving FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize, awarded in December for what FIFA described as “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” Spokesperson Davis Ingle declared that “no one else is more deserving” and dismissed detractors as suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/04/29/fifa-to-revoke/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/world-cup-trump-fifa-infantino-37086100
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 