Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has formally requested documents and a transcribed interview from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing soccer’s governing body of corruption in its dealings with President Donald Trump. The Maryland congressman sent the letter on Sunday, giving Infantino a deadline of August 9 to comply.
Raskin framed his inquiry around what he described as troubling and unexplained benefits granted to FIFA in apparent exchange for favours to Trump and his administration. His letter calls on Infantino to hand over a full accounting of anything of value provided to Trump, members of his administration, their family members, or associated entities including the Trump Organization.
Trump Tower Office at the Centre of Bribery Claim
The most specific allegation in Raskin’s letter concerns FIFA’s decision to lease office space on the 17th floor of Trump Tower. According to Raskin, the space carries an estimated annual retail value of around $600,000, yet FIFA only occupied it during the 39-day World Cup window — a cost he calculated at more than $15,000 per day. Raskin described this arrangement as outright bribery, arguing it was designed to secure favourable treatment from the Trump administration.
Raskin also requested the visitor logs for that Trump Tower office as part of the document production.
Balogun Red Card and DOJ Dismissals
The letter references two further areas of concern. During the World Cup, Trump publicly lobbied Infantino to overturn a red-card suspension handed to US striker Folarin Balogun ahead of the Americans’ last-16 tie against Belgium. Infantino maintained that Trump did not influence FIFA’s independent Disciplinary Committee, but the suspension was ultimately reversed in a move that drew criticism from other national associations.
Raskin also pointed to the Justice Department’s move to dismiss indictments against two defendants connected to the long-running FIFA corruption probe that first surfaced in 2015. He argued the decision formed part of a broader pattern of the administration acting in FIFA’s interests.
Infantino’s Record Under Scrutiny
According to The Guardian, Raskin’s letter takes direct aim at Infantino’s tenure as FIFA president more broadly. Raskin wrote that Infantino’s election was supposed to represent a clean break from the corruption culture that had long damaged world football’s reputation, but that he instead dismantled the organisation’s ethics committee early in his tenure. A New York University law professor and a former FIFA ethics committeeman were cited as describing Infantino’s conduct as legal bribery.
FIFA was given a separate peace prize to award Trump at the World Cup draw in Washington last December. Trump and Infantino watched the World Cup final together at MetLife Stadium, where both were booed when they joined Spain’s trophy presentation on the pitch.
FIFA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
