Headline: Fifa President Gianni Infantino Faces Questions from House Judiciary Committee Following Democratic Midterm Victory
Following the Democratic win in the midterm elections, Fifa President Gianni Infantino may be required to respond to inquiries regarding his connection with United States President Donald Trump, potentially facing criminal penalties for non-compliance.
An investigation was initiated by the House Judiciary Committee on July 26, which focused on what it termed a “sustained campaign” by Infantino and Fifa to gain favor with Trump. The committee has requested relevant documents and testimony from Infantino.
As of September 23, a spokesperson for the committee revealed that the cooperation from Fifa and its leadership has been “woefully inadequate.” Previously, as a minority party, they lacked the authority to issue subpoenas with criminal consequences. However, after their midterm success, they now have the means to enforce compliance and subject Infantino to closer scrutiny.
The spokesperson indicated that although staff members received updates on legal matters related to the Fifa bribery scandal, Fifa has not yet provided essential documents requested by the committee. These include information about financial contributions to the Trump family, answers to pivotal questions regarding the Fifa Peace Prize, and clarifications on the Kushner-Infantino plan to commercialize the World Cup.
A few days after the inquiry commenced, it was reported on July 28 that Infantino was developing a strategy to sell shares in Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) to private investors. Fifa confirmed that this enterprise would manage commercial operations for the World Cup and other tournaments, with the main investor group led by Thrive Capital, a firm established by Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
However, the FFE proposal was abandoned on August 1 after being rejected by three continental confederations, including UEFA, which threatened to boycott the tournaments. UEFA expressed that it had “lost confidence” in Infantino and intends to support an opposing candidate for the upcoming Fifa presidential election, although no specific challenger has been identified before the nomination deadline.
While Infantino enjoys solid backing from countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America, the campaign group FairSquare has called on national associations to challenge his eligibility for a fourth term.
Fifa’s statutes limit presidential terms to three. In a ruling just before the 2022 World Cup final, the Fifa Council determined that Infantino’s first term from 2016 to 2019 should not be counted, thus allowing him to run again in 2027.
