Global football governing body Fifa faces a sweeping US congressional investigation into its expanding financial and political ties to Donald Trump and his family if Democrats reclaim the House of Representatives in November, following a multibillion-dollar commercial privatization proposal led by JPMorgan Chase and linked to Joshua Kushner.
Global football’s governing body is hurtling toward a high-stakes political showdown in Washington. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, has warned that Fifa could face a sweeping US congressional investigation into its financial and political entanglements with Donald Trump’s administration should Democrats win control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.
The warning follows a controversial push by Fifa president Gianni Infantino to spin off the organization’s commercial business into a standalone entity carrying a reported valuation of about $20bn. JPMorgan Chase is leading the fundraising initiative for the privatization, which has drawn prospective investments from Thrive Eternal, an investment vehicle tied to Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner. Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, a high-level White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law.
Jamie Raskin Accuses Fifa of a Smash-and-Grab Scam
Raskin, who would step into the judiciary committee chairmanship under a Democratic House majority, did not mince words regarding the commercial restructuring. He characterized the organization’s financial maneuvers as a smash-and-grab scam of colossal proportions
aimed at turning world soccer into a global financial shakedown.
“Over the last few weeks, Fifa’s cozy relationship to Donald Trump has been floating to the top of the swamp of quid pro quo corruption in which the Trump Administration is swimming. But now we see where all the bribes, kickbacks and sweetheart deals have been leading.”
Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the House judiciary committee
Under the current Republican-led House majority, the judiciary committee minority lacks the legal authority to compel witnesses or subpoena records.
Escalating Scandals Surrounding the Trump Administration and World Football
The prospective congressional inquiry arrives on the heels of several major controversies linking world soccer’s leadership to the White House. In December, Fifa created and awarded its very first peace prize to Trump, an initiative that followed public complaints from the president about missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tensions also flared during the summer’s World Cup tournament. UEFA openly accused Fifa of undermining the integrity of the competition after officials reversed a red card issued to US forward Folarin Balogun. The reversal followed a direct telephone call from Trump to Infantino. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice dropped long-running bribery and money-laundering cases connected to the broader Fifa corruption scandal, asserting that the prosecutions no longer aligned with the administration’s enforcement priorities.
UEFA Backlash and the Threat of a World Cup Boycott
Washington is not the only place where Infantino’s privatization plans have triggered alarms. European football governing body UEFA expressed fierce opposition to the commercial spin-off, asserting that none of us are the owners of football
before voting to boycott Fifa competitions if the sell-off proceeds.
European leadership and congressional critics share deep concerns over private equity firms, hedge funds, autocrats, and kleptocrats seizing control of the sport. Raskin emphasized that with the United States preparing to host the Women’s World Cup in 2031, lawmakers carry a distinct obligation to block pay-to-play politics from taking root.
“Fifa needs to cooperate in good faith now. If and when Democrats take the House, this Committee will have the tools we need to get answers, expose corruption, protect sports fans against exorbitant and fraudulent charges and block this attempt to turn world soccer into a global financial shakedown.”
Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the House judiciary committee
The White House has consistently dismissed similar accusations of corruption and political quid pro quo as politically motivated. Fifa did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the threatened congressional scrutiny or the demands for transparency from Capitol Hill.
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