FIFA President Gianni Infantino has informed the International Olympic Committee. (Image: (Photo by GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
Gianni Infantino is facing trouble after human rights organization Fair Square filed a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee, accusing FIFA’s president of violating strict rules on political neutrality. The issue centers on Infantino’s recent exchange with US President Donald Trump, which reportedly influenced the controversial decision to rescind Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card.
Advocacy groups say Infantino has consistently ignored the Olympic Charter and the commission’s code of ethics since becoming a member in 2020. The spark that sparked this incident was the FIFA Disciplinary Committee suddenly revoking Balogun’s one-match suspension and allowing him to play in the round of 16 match against Belgium.
The reversal followed a phone call between President Trump and Mr. Infantino, with Swiss officials insisting that FIFA’s committees function with complete independence. The Daily Mirror has contacted FIFA for a response.
The Times reported that Mohammad Al Kamali, the head of the disciplinary committee, single-handedly issued the pivotal ruling suspending the ban, despite there being no record of him acting as the sole decision-maker in any previously published disciplinary proceedings. FIFA did not explain why the sanction was suspended.
Fair Square’s complaint outlines “prima facie” evidence of five clear violations of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality and two additional serious violations, including the handling of the Balogun issue. In December, Fair Square filed a similar complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee. FairSquare confirmed it received notification that the complaint had been received, but has not heard anything since.
Folarin Balogun’s red card set off a series of controversial events. (Image: Charlotte Wilson, Getty Images)
Last month, the Norwegian Football Federation sent a letter to FIFA’s Ethics Committee asking it to investigate the Fair Square allegations. On June 29, 50 members of the European Parliament also wrote to the same committee, asking it to address Fair Square’s complaints.
Balogun discussed the situation on CBS Morning and acknowledged that Trump’s involvement distracted 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 I could see a little bit of nervousness among my teammates because this is something so special. 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 chaotic because the team was practicing without me. I’m pretty much just playing a support role to keep morale high.”
US President Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino have a close alliance (Image: Pool, Getty Images)
According to talkSPORT, the latest FIFA scandal is likely to play into UEFA’s hands as the European governing body looks to field a candidate to challenge Infantino in the next FIFA presidential election.
Infantino is seeking a third term and had hoped to run unopposed, but support for rival candidates within UEFA continues to grow.
UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin would be the most credible challenger to the FIFA presidency, but it appears the Slovenian plans to remain in his current role at UEFA next spring. Ceferin reportedly has little desire to confront Infantino, even though the two have clashed numerous times.
