March 24 – The Swedish FA (SvFF) has criticised FIFA over Gianni Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump, but ruled out a potential boycott of the 2026 World Cup.
In an interview with Swedish broadcaster TV4, SvFF president Simon Åström said: “It is clearly stated in the statutes that football should be used as a unifying force. We should not be political in our actions. We are not naive, it is clear that football and politics often flow together.
“But the fact that you are handing out a peace prize or marketing this new ‘Board of peace’ is a clear violation of becoming political. We do not think that is the right way to go.”
Last December, Infantino, the FIFA President, awarded the organisation’s inaugural Peace Prize to Trump at the World Cup draw in Washington D.C. FIFA has also pledged $75 million for football-related projects in Gaza as part of its partnership with the Board of Peace, Trump’s new international postwar organisation.
“Our criticism is that we think it is wrong that the prize is awarded, regardless of who it goes to, because it becomes such a clear political angle to it,” Åström said.
Article 4.2 of the FIFA Statutes states that “FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion” while article 15 of FIFA’s Code of Ethics requires football officials to “remain politically neutral” in dealing with governments. Earlier this year, NGO FairSquare filed an ethics complaint over alleged repeated breaches of political neutrality rules by Infantino.
Åström and the SvFF have however ruled out a boycott of the World Cup. This week Sweden face Ukraine in a playoff. The SvFF president said: “Basically, we have a very clearposition that we share with the entire Swedish sports movement. It is that we do not believe in boycotts as a tool. It is better to participate and be in place.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]