US Supreme Court Order Could Shield FIFA's Infantino from Prosecution
A US Supreme Court order has reopened the possibility for the Department of Justice to drop key criminal prosecutions from the FIFAGate scandal, a development that could significantly benefit FIFA president Gianni Infantino. According to documents obtained by French magazine So Foot, the Supreme Court's order on January 12 referred two major FIFAGate cases related to international football broadcasting rights back to a New York appeals court. The court instructed a review in light of an official request from the Justice Department to dismiss the prosecutions.
The cases in question involve the Full Play Group and former executive Hernan Lopez. This judicial shift, reported in an investigation published by So Foot on Thursday, reduces the legal peril for peripheral figures connected to the long-running corruption scandal. Infantino, who served as FIFA's director of legal services before becoming president, was among those operating in the scandal's orbit, though he has never been charged.
The timing of this potential legal closure is notable, coming just months before the 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Analysts suggest it could allow Infantino to oversee the tournament without the shadow of ongoing US judicial proceedings related to his predecessor's administration. The So Foot report posits that this development may help explain Infantino's notably close relationship with former US President Donald Trump.
The investigation suggests that certain favors from FIFA to the Trump administration could be interpreted as part of an understanding to ensure the closure of the FIFAGate legal chapter. These alleged favors, according to the report, include FIFA's perceived leniency towards Trump's comments on Iran and the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia under Infantino's watch. The report implies these actions may have been part of a broader political calculus.
Infantino has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has positioned himself as a reformer who cleaned up FIFA after the arrest of several top executives in 2015. The FIFAGate scandal led to convictions and guilty pleas from numerous football officials and marketing executives on charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering. The potential dismissal of remaining cases would mark a major turning point, effectively ending the US government's landmark prosecution of international football corruption.
Legal experts note that a decision by the Justice Department to drop cases is not uncommon after a change in administration or following a strategic review. However, its application to such a high-profile international corruption inquiry would draw significant scrutiny. For FIFA's current leadership, the winding down of FIFAGate prosecutions would solidify Infantino's image as a survivor who navigated the organization through its most profound crisis. The final decision now rests with the New York appeals court, which must reconsider the cases based on the government's new position.
