Nick McGeehan of FairSquare tells FAKTI: Over time, FIFA has become a predatory commercial organisation

The relationship between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump has raised serious questions about the political independence of world football’s governing body. The organisation FairSquare is calling for an official investigation into Infantino, claiming that he has breached FIFA’s ethical rules by demonstrating political support and has called into question the independence of the governance of the world’s most popular sport. FairSquare’s director, Nick McGeehan, spoke to FAKTI on the subject.

- Mr McGeehan, FairSquare has called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino over alleged breaches of political neutrality. What exactly do you believe should be investigated?
- Infantino has repeatedly expressed clear political support for Trump's domestic and foreign policy in ways that clearly violate FIFA rules on these matters.

- You have said that the issue is not only about the relationship between Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, but also about the way FIFA is governed. What does this case reveal about the current state of global football governance?
- Recent events have clearly demonstrated that FIFA's governance makes it unfit to run world football. The organisation needs to be radically reformed and it is unable to do that itself. An organisation that was set up to govern and regulate the world’s most popular sport has been transformed over time into a predatory commercial entity that feeds off the game’s global appeal, and causes or exacerbates a wide range of social harms.

- Which specific actions or public statements by Gianni Infantino do you believe may have violated the principle that football leaders should remain politically neutral?
- We have documented a full list of these here.

- Do you believe that the close relationship between the FIFA president and the US president could influence decisions related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
- It appears that this is what happened, which is why an investigation into this matter is so urgently required because this would be a gross breach of the rules.

- FairSquare has raised concerns about FIFA’s decision to create and present a peace award to Donald Trump. Why do you believe this initiative raises questions about political influence within football?
- It would be hard to think of a more blatant example of political influence than the giving of a Peace Prize to this US President. Trump deals in transactional relationships, and so this prize was clearly given because Infantino wanted something in return and the suspicions must now be that this was all related to Infantino's efforts to sell of the WOrld Cup to private investors linked to Trump.

- How do you assess the response of the international football community? Do football federations and leaders have enough courage to question the way FIFA is being run?
- Football associations, with perhaps the exception of the Norwegians, are clearly part of the problem. Many of them are far too happy to accept the money they receive from FIFA or too scared to criticise any of its decisions for fear of losing favour.

- The International Olympic Committee decided not to investigate your complaint against Infantino, stating that the matter falls outside its jurisdiction. Does this case reveal a wider problem with the lack of independent oversight mechanisms for sports leaders?
- Yes absolutely, the IOC's response to our complaint was absurd and suggests that the problems extend far beyond FIFA.

- Critics may argue that FairSquare is turning sport into a political arena. How do you respond to accusations that such investigations themselves contribute to the politicisation of football?
- Our initial work on FIFA stemmed from their links to very serious human rights abuses in Qatar. They came onto our turf, we didn't come onto theirs.

- What changes are needed within FIFA’s structure to ensure greater transparency, accountability and independent oversight of the organisation’s president and leadership?
- The key reform that is required is the severance of the link between the money that FIFA distributes to its member associations and the one-member-one-vote voting system at the FIFA Congress. Nothing truly positive and sustainable can be achieved in the field of FIFA governance until this patronage system is broken up. Once that is achieved, implementing basic rules of good governance and adhere to principles of democracy, transparency and accountability. That will require technical work, of course, but until the basic foundations are there, the scope for meaningful improvement is limited.

- If the investigations do not result in sanctions against Gianni Infantino, what do you believe will be the long-term impact on public trust in FIFA and world football?
- The public has already lost all faith in FIFA and do not see them as responsible custodians of the game. The question is whether unseating INfantino and replacing him with someone else will restore that trust. It should not. We need political intervention to drive genuine and quite radical reform.