Listen to the article
FIFA President Gianni Infantino could be compelled to testify before the United States Congress within weeks, as a Democratic lawmaker who has been investigating the football body’s financial links to Donald Trump stands to gain subpoena authority following the midterm elections, according to reporting by The Telegraph cited by RBC.
Representative Jamie Raskin, currently the vice-chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is expected to become its chairman in January after Democrats secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterms. That chairmanship would give him the power to issue a compulsory summons to Infantino and demand the organisation’s financial records.
Raskin opened his inquiry in July, sending Infantino a formal letter demanding all records of FIFA’s contacts with Trump, his administration and the Trump Organization family business. To date, those documents have not been provided.
The Balogun Red Card
The investigation centres on a series of episodes that critics say point to improper political influence over the sport’s governing body. The most prominent involves United States national team forward Folarin Balogun, who received a red card during a round-of-sixteen match at the 2026 World Cup. His suspension was subsequently overturned after Trump personally telephoned Infantino. Infantino maintained that the decision to lift the ban was taken by an independent disciplinary committee, not by him.
A Prize With No Jury
Scrutiny of the relationship between the two men predates the tournament itself. On 5 December 2025, during the World Cup draw ceremony held in Washington, Trump was presented with a FIFA Peace Prize. The award had been created without approval from FIFA’s governing council, and its bestowal involved neither nominations nor a jury process. FIFA stated only that the prize was intended for individuals who had performed “exceptional and outstanding acts for peace, uniting people around the world.”
The Kushner Commercial Rights Deal
A third strand of the inquiry concerns FIFA’s reported plan to transfer a portion of the World Cup’s commercial rights to an entity connected to Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law. After the arrangement drew public criticism, FIFA abandoned the proposal.
Raskin’s ability to act has so far been constrained by his position as vice-chairman. The committee chairmanship he is expected to assume in January would remove that constraint, allowing him to compel Infantino’s appearance and obtain financial documentation that FIFA has declined to supply voluntarily.