Rep. Raskin seeks documents over alleged favors, corruption concerns and ticketing practices.
On Monday, Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation into the relationship between the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
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To that end, the U.S. representative sent a five-page letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino requesting documents and his appearance before Congress. The request seeks to determine whether FIFA received benefits from the U.S. government in exchange for favors granted to Trump during the organization of the 2026 World Cup.
The investigation will address high-profile corruption cases involving hundreds of millions of dollars related to FIFA, while also examining allegations that the organization gouged American consumers with exorbitant prices during the World Cup.
“The most recent quid pro quo that FIFA and President Trump orchestrated is not a victimless crime. It hurts Americans. FIFA has taken its newfound favored status in the Trump Administration as a sign that it may rip off its consumers, most notably, by employing illegal price gouging and fraudulent sales tactics for the World Cup,” Raskin wrote.
“Since Infantino’s election, FIFA has dismantled key ethics guardrails, sidelined ethics and oversight bodies, and pursued an aggressive campaign to curry favor with Donald Trump, including through outright bribery,” the House Judiciary Committee stated.
“In exchange for leasing an office in Trump Tower at inflated costs for limited use and inventing a bogus ‘peace prize’ for the President, the Trump Administration abandoned anti-corruption enforcement and allowed FIFA to operate as a multinational criminal enterprise with impunity,” it added.
THIS IS BRUTAL!
President Trump calling FIFA President Infantino for CORRUPTION in front of the WORLD!
Gianni Infantino: "FIFA is officially the provider of happiness."
Trump: "Unless his team (Argentina) loses." pic.twitter.com/XXd4eNXJNW
— JackTheRippler © (@RippleXrpie) July 18, 2026
Through its website, the House Judiciary Committee recalled that FIFA’s history of corruption is well documented, noting that the Department of Justice uncovered illegal activities spanning decades and involving defendants, who exchanged over US$200 million in bribes and kickbacks in return for lucrative broadcasting rights to international soccer matches. Although authorities secured convictions in two of those cases, the Trump administration abruptly dropped the charges, allowing the defendants to go free.
“That impunity has come at the expense of American soccer fans. FIFA has imposed extreme and unlawful ticketing practices for the World Cup, including price surges from a promised US$1,550 cap to nearly US$33,000 per seat, widespread use of dynamic pricing, and the ability to downgrade ticket holders to worse seats after purchase. These tactics have triggered state-level investigations while Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission have looked the other way,” the House Judiciary Committee stated.
In his letter to Infantino, Raskin requested documents and communications from FIFA related to any gifts, payments or benefits provided to Trump and his associates, as well as records concerning FIFA’s ticketing practices and contacts with U.S. officials. The U.S. representative also seeks to reveal the nature of Trump’s relationship with Infantino.
“The Justice Department’s conduct becomes easier to understand when viewed alongside FIFA’s campaign to win Donald Trump’s favor since his reelection, a strategy that has generated significant benefits for the organization while North America hosted the World Cup. During the past 18 months, you created a so-called ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ to present to President Trump, who has publicly expressed his interest in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, you leased office space on the 17th floor of Trump Tower — at an estimated cost of US$600,000 a year — even though it would be used only during the 39 days of the World Cup. That represents a cost of more than US$15,000 per day,” Raskin stated.
“Your election as FIFA president was supposed to represent a break with the culture of corruption that damaged the reputation of world soccer for decades. You were elected with a mandate to reform the organization following Mr. Blatter’s resignation. However, at the beginning of your tenure, you weakened ethical oversight mechanisms and removed most members of FIFA’s ethics committee. That lack of transparency and oversight paved the way for you to develop a close relationship with the Trump administration through practices that a New York University law professor and a former member of FIFA’s ethics committee described as ‘legal bribery,'” he added.
BOMBA!
A FIFA está pensando em VENDER parte da Copa do Mundo
A ideia seria vender percentuais da competição para INVESTIDORES PRIVADOS.
Já houveram discussões com possíveis investidores PRÓXIMOS ao Governo Trump.
Gianni Infantino, atual presidente da FIFA,… pic.twitter.com/zfpQ04TuGd
— DataFut (@DataFutebol) July 28, 2026
The text reads, “Bomb! FIFA is thinking of selling part of the World Cup!! The idea would be to sell percentages of the competition to private investors. There have already been conversations with potential investors close to the Trump administration. Current FIFA President Gianni Infantino could become “commissioner” of this new company that would manage the World Cup.”
Near the end of the letter, Raskin requested that Infantino provide the following documents and information no later than Aug. 9:
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A list of anything of value (including transfer of money, gifts, prizes, awards or public appearances) given to President Trump, members of his administration or their family members, or any entity associated with them, such as The Trump Organization.
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All documents and communications relating to the gifts referenced in Request No. 1, including but not limited to FIFA’s lease or rental in Trump Tower and the “FIFA Peace Prize.”
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All documents and communications since 2024 with any United States official, or anyone associated with the 2024-2025 presidential transition, regarding any matter pending before or under consideration by officials at the Department of Justice or any other department, agency or office of the United States.
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All communications with the United States government relating to FIFA’s ticketing practices, including consumer complaints, discussions regarding variable or other pricing mechanisms, third-party sellers and ticket prices.
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All visitor logs for FIFA’s Miami and New York City offices for the duration of the New York City office lease term.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: House Judiciary Committee – La Tercera
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