U.S. House Democrats opened an investigation into FIFA, alleging potential corruption, fraudulent sales tactics, illegal price gouging and a possible quid pro quo involving the organisation and the Trump administration.
In a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Jamie Raskin, ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, accused FIFA and U.S. President Donald Trump of orchestrating a “quid pro quo” that he said was harming American consumers.
“FIFA has taken its newfound favoured 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 has also mentioned the unfair and unlawful ticketing practices for the World Cup, including price surges, widespread use of dynamic pricing and the policies allowing ticket holders to be reassigned to lower-quality seats
“The original North American bid promised a maximum finals ticket price of $1,550 - FIFA surged finals tickets to nearly $33,000 per seat, more than 20 times the promised price.”
Raskin’s letter also referenced FIFA’s history of corruption. In 2015, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged more than two dozen high level FIFA officials and sports-marketing executives with wire fraud and money laundering.
Defendants from more than 20 countries were accused of exchanging more than $200 million in bribes and kickbacks over 24 years in return for lucrative media rights to international football matches.
In addition to the media rights scandal, FIFA officials accepted bribes to influence the selection process for the 1998, 2010, 2018, and 2022 World Cups and several were caught selling votes for the FIFA presidency itself.
Similarly, it was discovered that Full Play Group kept detailed ledgers to track millions of dollars in bribes given to soccer officials, labelling the presidents of national teams and FIFA confederations they paid off with pseudonyms like “Benz,” “Fiat,” and “Toyota” using secret Swiss bank accounts and Panamanian shell companies to facilitate these payments.
An appeals court later unanimously confirmed the convictions. However, a few months later, the Trump administration unexpectedly abandoned the case, declining to submit an opposition brief in a tap-in appeal to the Supreme Court.
Raskin argues that all the developments including FIFA’s campaign to curry favour with Donald Trump since his re-election, along with the FIFA Peace Price awarded to President Trump and leasing an office space in Trump Tower, which retails for $600,000 a year are FIFA’s efforts to cultivate favour with the Trump administration.
Committee on the Judiciary is demanding 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.
He is further demanding the visitor logs for FIFA’s gratuitous, largely vacant office space in Trump Tower. The Committee is also requesting Infantino’s appearance for a transcribed interview.
Read more
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to res...
Afghanistan and Belarus have agreed to advance joint industrial projects, investment and technical cooperation following talks in Minsk, as Kabul s...
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are drawing up a new programme aimed at boosting bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030, as the two countries move to deep...
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment