Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the US House judiciary committee, has opened an investigation into Fifa president Gianni Infantino, demanding documents that reveal the extent of Fifa's ties to Donald Trump and his administration. The move follows growing scrutiny of the relationship between football's governing body and the US president, which intensified over the course of this year's World Cup and raises questions about undue political influence over the sport and its handling of fan-facing issues such as ticketing.

Raskin's letter requests records of gifts, payments or benefits given to Trump and his associates, plus visitor logs for Fifa's office in Trump Tower, which the organisation acquired last year, and asks Infantino to sit for a transcribed interview. It cites episodes including Trump's "Fifa peace prize" at the World Cup draw, his intervention in the reversal of a red-card ban on US player Folarin Balogun, his appearance at the trophy presentation, and the Justice Department's dropping of long-running corruption indictments against former Fifa officials. Raskin also linked the inquiry to Fifa's contentious dynamic ticket pricing, already under investigation by several US state attorneys general, accusing Fifa of exploiting its favoured status with the White House to overcharge fans.