Fans are really fired up about the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and not in a good way. They’re upset about the sky-high ticket prices and the messy way tickets are being handed out, and now it’s taken a new turn with a formal ethics complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

On X, @politvidchannel reported: “FIFA could remove Gianni Infantino as FIFA President for giving Donald Trump a made-up ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ on live TV. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been accused of breaching FIFA’s ethics codes.”

According to FairSquare, the New York-based human rights organization that filed the complaint, giving a prize like that to a sitting political leader clearly goes against FIFA’s rules. The complaint also suggests that Infantino’s “unilateral” decision to present the inaugural award, could be seen as an “egregious abuse of power.”

The five-count complaint argues that Infantino’s ties with Trump go against Article 15 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics, which states that the governing body and its representatives should “remain politically neutral.” But the ethical issues mentioned in the complaint go way beyond just the award ceremony.

FairSquare also took issue with the FIFA president advocating for Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize on social media, as well as Infantino using Trump’s political slogans in a video message after his inauguration earlier this year.

Furthermore, during the Peace Prize presentation, Infantino told Trump, “You can always count, Mr. President, on my support,” which the complaint suggests is the type of endorsement that breaches the Code of Ethics. The possible fallout for Infantino could range from minor to serious, depending on if and how the independent Ethics Committee heeds the complaint.

The committee can impose various sanctions, which could be anything from a warning or a fine to a complete ban on all soccer-related activities for as long as two years. The scandal really hits at the core of FIFA’s credibility during a time when the organization has other issues to deal with as the World Cup nears.

FIFA’s situation prior to the World Cup isn’t looking good

There’s a real leadership crisis going on, and on top of that, the ticketing strategy is super unpopular and all over the place, which has really upset a lot of people. Fans who put down hundreds of dollars on “Right to Buy” tokens were faced with an ultimatum to buy tickets without knowing the final price.

When they found out, it turned out that most would only be able to access the priciest seating options. To make things even trickier, FIFA uses a dynamic pricing model that’s already pushed up prices for a lot of matches.

And the resale prices are pretty shocking. Well, a ticket that was originally $2,030 for the final got re-listed the very next day for a whopping $25,000. Also on the pitch, there’s been a big change to how the game flows, and it’s left a lot of fans feeling pretty disappointed.

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FIFA has decided to introduce mandatory three-minute hydration breaks at the 22-minute mark of each half for every match, no matter what the weather is like at the stadium. This change is set to impact the flow of the game significantly. It used to be that cooling breaks were only required when it got hotter than 32°C. But now, FIFA has decided that this rule will apply everywhere, no matter the venue, the weather, or even if the stadium has a roof.

While framed as a player welfare measure for expected high temperatures, the blanket application has drawn skepticism and accusations that the pauses are designed to create lucrative in-game television advertising slots. All these issues really create a concerning environment for an organization getting ready to host its main event.