Reboot FIFA: Examining Political Neutrality in Modern Football Governance

Just a week before the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 3^rd , FairSquare launched the ‘Reboot FIFA’ campaign, demanding major structural change within FIFA. FairSquare is an international non-profit organisation that advocates for human rights, labour rights, and other governance issues linked to international sports. Over the years, the organisation has been responsible for publishing numerous reports and examining human rights in major sporting events, including FIFA events. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the organisation emerged as a crucial advocacy group for migrant workers in Qatar. In recent years, the phrase ‘Keep Politics out of Football’ has evolved from a simple slogan into a pathway for global revolution in modern football governance. The sudden spike in allegations of political involvement against football governing institutions raises a serious question about whether the principle of political neutrality is being upheld in today’s modern football world.

The aspect of political neutrality in sports is a much-needed element for sports’ governing bodies, especially on the international stage, for reasons such as preserving sports integrity, preventing sports from becoming a tool for political propaganda, and maintaining the global character of the institution.  Serious allegations of breaching political neutrality on different occasions against the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, raises a serious question about whether FIFA is consistent in applying its own neutrality standards.

This blog critically examines the concept of ‘Political Neutrality’ in modern football governance through the legal framework laid down by FIFA and its implications. It also analyses the serious allegations raised by FairSquare and whether FIFA’s conduct on different occasions aligns with its commitment towards political neutrality.

Legal Framework of Political Neutrality in FIFA

The core of the present controversy is directly linked to FIFA’s Code of Ethics. It sets out rules for the conduct of individuals which ensure integrity, transparency, and fair play in football governance. FIFA, through the Code, seeks to preserve the global reputation and credibility of world football. The Code of Ethics was first formally introduced in 2004 and has been periodically revised throughout the years, with the latest version coming into force in 2023. Despite periodic revisions, one provision that has been permanent through the years is the ‘Principle of Political Neutrality.’

Section 5 of the Code sets out rules of conduct to be followed by organisations, confederations, and members of FIFA, as well as all individuals and officials acting on their behalf, subject to Article 1 and 2 of the Code. Sub-section 1 of section 5 lays down duties to be followed, under which one such duty is ‘Duty of Neutrality’ embedded in Article 15. It lays down that while dealing with government institutions, national or international organisations, associations or groups, the person bound by this conduct shall remain politically neutral. It seeks to preserve the independence and autonomy of FIFA from any political influence and align the conduct of global football with broader commitments of the institution related to Human Rights, Anti-Discrimination Policy, and Social Justice.

Although there is no universal definition of Political Neutrality in Sports, the concept can still be understood in two dimensions: one being politically neutral within the sporting environment, and the other being neutral in relation to geopolitical conflicts. It becomes essential for protecting the sports’ values, autonomy, and integrity, while facilitating global participation without letting it become a political battleground. However, in the absence of a proper definition, it is difficult to determine what constitutes a breach of political neutrality in modern sports governance.

Political Neutrality Under Scrutiny: Infantino’s Controversy

Maintaining its oversight on football governance, the organisation launched the ‘Reboot FIFA’ campaign, which is said to be the largest complaint in FIFA’s history. They argue that an external revolution is needed to fix the long-standing structural problem in FIFA. Last year, within a week after the group stage draw, FairSquare lodged an ethics complaint against FIFA’s President for violating Article 15 of the code of ethics. In their complaint, Infantino was accused of failing to be politically neutral on 4 different occasions and all four incidents showed him being inclined towards Donald Trump and the United States of America. The accusation also included the gifting of the FIFA Peace Prize to Donald Trump during the group stage draw ceremony.  Building upon that, the organisation will file an updated complaint after the World Cup and ask the stakeholders from all over the globe to be signatories to this class action. The complaint is also backed by the Norwegian Football Federation, while requesting the ethics committee to make the decision public. While the issue has attracted huge public attention, there are people in support of FIFA. They argue that for hosting such monumental international sporting events, it becomes extremely difficult for the sporting officials to stay away from government officials of the hosting state and every interaction between them doesn’t amount to political endorsement.

Therefore, the controversy isn’t just limited to the actions of a single individual but the actions of FIFA as a whole. It leads to the necessity for answering the core question of ‘what action should be seen as necessary political involvement, and what a prohibited political engagement is’ for determining the credibility of FIFA towards its policy of political neutrality.

The Challenge of Selective and Inconsistent Governance

To understand the meaning of political neutrality within the scope of football governance, it becomes important to study various occasions when FIFA acknowledged the principle. FIFA has held a strict stance against political interference and has often sanctioned various national football associations for breaching the code. FIFA in the past decade, suspended 5 countries’ football federations, including Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe, for political interference in the governance of football in those countries. Most famously, it also included the All India Football Federation, which was suspended in 2022 for the same reasons.

These instances led to FIFA facing huge backlash in the implementation of its own political neutrality policy. The critics argue that although the institution follows a rigorous approach against the federations, the same isn’t being applied in FIFA itself. It’s not the first time that FIFA has been questioned for its double standards, as Russia was banned from all the competition for the Ukraine invasion, but the same wasn’t done for the United States or Israel, whereas the Iranian football team is facing difficulties in getting United States visas.

Inconsistency in applying the code by FIFA itself raises serious concerns in football governance, putting the credibility of the institution at stake. It also raises an important question that whether the rule of law is just a concept or a proper principle that is to be followed in sports governance. These disparities in the implementation of regulations also raise accountability issues in football governance. Adding fuel to it the main challenge of not having a proper definition of political neutrality gives arbitrary power to FIFA to define the term to its own advantage, benefiting itself or its preferred members.

Rethinking Political Neutrality in FIFA

While FIFA continues to be the guardian of global football, the questions of political neutrality in today’s geopolitical scenario are likely to increase. To counter such questions, FIFA should lay down clearer and unambiguous guidelines for political neutrality. It should distinguish legitimate political engagement from prohibited political endorsement. Along with this, consistent enforcement of such guidelines is essential for maintaining the credibility of the institution. This will help in reducing the arbitrary use of power by FIFA while providing a clearer scope to the stakeholders for interacting in a globally connected environment.

 In addition to these proceedings, the working of the ethics committee in such matters should be made transparent and public, as is done in the Court of Arbitration for Sports. There should be an additional or separate independent oversight of the committee as constituted in the World Anti-Doping Agency to ensure credibility and gain public trust. This would also help ensure fairer trials for officials who hold positions of authority and power, like the FIFA President in the present case. Furthermore, adding a stakeholders' participation mechanism in governance will ensure accountability while helping FIFA in identifying various ethical concerns and maintaining public confidence in it.

Conclusion

The central issue raised by FairSquare, whether Gianni Infantino has breached Article 15 of the Code of Ethics, isn’t just limited to that. Still, the incident raises concerns about credibility, accountability, and consistency in modern football governance. While the outcome of the core issue remains unclear, it raises a significant question of law: when does political engagement breach the code of political neutrality? It also demonstrates that the effectiveness of an ethical framework doesn’t depend only upon the rules laid down but also on consistency and transparency in rule implementation.

However, in an era where politics and sports are increasingly intertwined, complete separation of both becomes practically impossible. But through various reforms which ensures consistency, credibility, transparency and accountability in existing structure and governance various sporting institutions like FIFA can uphold their commitment towards political neutrality in sports.

Authors: Madhav Singh Bisht is a 3rd Year, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) student at Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur and Arjun Ishaan is a 4th Year, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) student at Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur