FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s words and actions at the World Cup are reported
A complaint has been filed against Gianni Infantino, president of the International Olympic Committee (FIFA), accusing him of violating rules on political neutrality. The article follows an exchange with US President Donald Trump regarding Folarin Balogun’s red card at the World Cup, which took place on the eve of the big semi-final clash between England and Argentina.
Human rights group Fair Square alleges Infantino, who joined the IOC in 2020, has consistently violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC’s code of ethics. This latest incident comes after Balogun’s one-match suspension was lifted by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, allowing him to play in the World Cup last-16 match against Belgium.
The announcement was made after a phone call between President Trump and Infantino, with the Swiss secretary insisting that FIFA’s committees would operate completely independently. The Daily Mirror has contacted FIFA for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has informed the International Olympic Committee. (Image: (Photo by GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
The Times claimed that Mohammad Al Kamali, the chairman of the disciplinary committee, made the key decision to lift the suspension alone, even though he was not the sole decision-maker in previously publicized disciplinary matters.
FIFA has not disclosed the reason for the suspension. Fair Square’s complaint identifies five clear violations of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality, along with “prima facie” evidence of two additional serious violations involving the management of the Balogun situation.
In December, Fair Square filed a similar complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee. FairSquare confirmed it had received notification that the complaint had been received, but had not received any further updates.
Last month, the Norwegian Football Federation submitted a letter to FIFA’s Ethics Committee calling for an investigation into Fair Square’s allegations. On June 29, 50 members of the European Parliament also wrote to the commission, asking it to address Fairsquare’s complaints.
President Donald Trump recently reacted to Folarin Balogun’s ban being raised (Image: AP)
Balogun addressed the situation on CBS Morning, acknowledging that Trump’s involvement was a distraction for the USMNT. He said, “My first reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team. But on reflection, I realized that this would cause a lot of controversy.”
“And this is something so unique that I could see my teammates getting a little nervous. But as the game got closer, I tried to concentrate as much as I could, but it was difficult. There was a lot of outside noise, and it was difficult to avoid it.”
“It was confusing because the team was practicing without me. I was just playing a supporting role to boost morale.”
According to talkSPORT, FIFA’s fiasco is likely to play into the hands of UEFA, which wants to field a candidate who can take on Infantino in the next FIFA presidential election.
Infantino is seeking a third term and had hoped to be re-elected unopposed, but support for other candidates is growing within UEFA.
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin (Image: Harry Murphy – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin is the most reliable candidate to replace FIFA chief, but the Slovenian is expected to remain in his current role at UEFA next spring. Ceferin reportedly has no desire to go head-to-head with Infantino, even though the two have clashed several times.
Many UEFA federations, including those in Belgium and Poland, will support PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as he stands in the next election, but the EFC president is reportedly not interested in running for the post himself.
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Bosnia, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Spain’s top football bosses are said to be in talks to express their support for Legia owner Dariusz Miodowski, which could further increase his support.
Apart from UEFA, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has also been linked as a possible successor to Infantino.
Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe is also a possible candidate, and he has made no secret of his ambitions to one day become FIFA president.
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