FIFA's Ethics Committee has refused the Norwegian Football Federation's demand for transparency regarding an investigation into the controversial awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to Donald Trump. Martin Ngoga, chairman of FIFA's investigatory chamber, rejected Norway's request to receive updates on the complaint filed by human rights organisation FairSquare in December 2025.
Ngoga's written response cited confidentiality protocols governing ethics proceedings. "Only the persons who are themselves the subject of proceedings are considered parties to those proceedings," he stated, emphasizing that FIFA cannot disclose whether investigations exist or provide status updates due to the sensitive nature of such cases. This rigid stance underscores FIFA's historical resistance to public scrutiny of internal disciplinary matters.
The Timeline of Controversy
The dispute began when FairSquare submitted a formal complaint on 8 December 2025, just three days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented the inaugural Peace Prize to Trump during the World Cup draw in Washington. The complaint alleged that Infantino breached FIFA's political neutrality requirements under Article 15 of the Code of Ethics and violated procedural standards by awarding the prize without proper presentation to the FIFA Council.
Norway's federation president Lise Klaveness championed the cause of transparency, arguing that rule of law safeguards demanded public handling of the file regardless of FIFA's decision. In June 2026, Norway became the first national federation to formally support the complaint in writing. The pushback expanded when approximately 50 members of the European Parliament urged FIFA to address the matter properly, and by August, the Norwegian Federation broadened its ethics campaign to include other contentious cases.
Institutional Opacity Prevails
FIFA has maintained its typical operational silence, neither confirming nor denying the formal opening of an investigation as of the latest reporting. This practice of withholding information until final decisions are rendered has long frustrated stakeholders seeking accountability within football's governing body. The refusal to engage with Norway's reasonable demand for procedural transparency reflects deeper tensions between FIFA's institutional autonomy and growing demands for governance reform across international sports organizations.
