FIFA president Gianni Infantino could soon face formal questioning—and potential criminal consequences—over his relationship with US President Donald Trump after Democrats gained control of Congress in the midterm elections.
The House Judiciary Committee’s Democratic members confirmed on July 26 that they had opened an investigation into what they called a “sustained campaign” by FIFA and Infantino to win favour with the Trump administration. They demanded documents and an appearance from the FIFA boss.
On September 23 a committee spokeswoman said Infantino and FIFA’s cooperation had been “woefully inadequate.” As the minority party at the time, Democrats lacked subpoena power. Their midterms victory now gives them the ability to compel testimony, with failure to appear carrying criminal penalties.
The spokeswoman noted that FIFA had still not handed over key documents, including those showing how much money the organisation had given the Trump family, details surrounding the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize, or explanations of the so-called Kushner-Infantino plan to commercialise the World Cup.
That plan, reported by The Times two days after the investigation launched, involved selling stakes in a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to private investors. The lead investor was to be Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner—brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. FIFA confirmed FFE would handle the commercial rights to the World Cup and other competitions.
The proposal was quickly rejected by three continental confederations, including UEFA, which threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments unless it was dropped. Infantino withdrew the idea on August 1. UEFA has since said it has “lost confidence” in Infantino and intends to field a rival candidate in next year’s presidential election, though no formal challenger has yet been announced.
Infantino retains strong backing in Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America. Campaign group FairSquare has urged national associations to challenge his eligibility for a fourth term, arguing FIFA’s three-term limit should bar him. FIFA Council previously decided to disregard his first term (2016–2019), clearing the way for him to stand again in 2027.