The World Cup begins at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on 11 June. A campaign to deliver the 'biggest complaint Fifa has ever received' is being launched by campaigners a week before the World Cup.
Campaign to Deliver 'Biggest Complaint Fifa Has Ever Received' Launches Before World Cup
With fans concerned over safety and the cost of tickets at the tournament, and complaints ongoing against Fifa from human rights organisations and football competitions, a class action-style complaint is calling for an investigation into the president, Gianni Infantino.
The 'Reboot Fifa' campaign starts on Thursday and is being led by the advocacy group FairSquare, which has pushed Fifa over its governance since before the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Led by an advisory board of football activists and writers, including the historian David Goldblatt and whistleblower Bonita Mersiades, the campaign is 'encouraging people to add their name to … what we hope will be the largest single complaint Fifa will ever have received about the conduct of its senior officials'.
The complaint will be submitted to Fifa's ethics committee after the World Cup and will be an updated version of one sent to it at the end of last year, in which FairSquare claimed Infantino had on four occasions breached article 15 of the Fifa code of ethics, which requires staff to 'remain politically neutral'. The complaint followed Infantino's decision to attend a Summit for Peace held by Donald Trump and the subsequent award of the Fifa peace prize to the US president.
'People are rightly angered and frustrated by a range of issues, from exorbitant World Cup ticket prices to Fifa's offering of a peace prize to a man who then launched an illegal war on a World Cup participant,' said FairSquare's director, Nick McGeehan. 'This campaign is about harnessing that anger and redirecting it effectively to create the political pressure required to force meaningful change at Fifa.'
Reforms Proposed by FairSquare
Among the reforms proposed by FairSquare are: increased auditing of the billions of dollars Fifa shares with its member organisations; a separation between Fifa's commercial and regulatory and governance functions; and improved transparency and public accountability, including expanded engagement with the media.
FairSquare's original complaint this week received backing from Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian football federation and campaigner for Fifa reform. The NFF has written to Fifa's ethics committee in support of the complaint and, on the eve of the Norway squad's departure for the World Cup, Klaveness said of the letter: 'We have sent it, and it is causing some political reactions. But it is sent, and that is checked off. We will follow up, push forward, request meetings, and build momentum on this as soon as the World Cup is over.'
Fifa have been approached for comment. On launching the peace prize, Infantino said the award would 'recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations'. He later defended the decision to award the prize to Trump, telling Sky News: 'Objectively, he deserves it. He was instrumental in resolving conflicts and saving thousands of lives.'
He has further defended his personal relationship with Trump, saying: 'I think it is absolutely crucial for the success of a World Cup to have a close relationship with the president.'
