The IOC has received a complaint seeking an investigation into FIFA president Gianni Infantino over alleged political neutrality breaches and the Folarin Balogun suspension.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino with US President Donald Trump (Photo: IANS)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has received a complaint seeking an investigation into FIFA president Gianni Infantino over alleged breaches of political neutrality, including his reported role in overturning United States forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The complaint, filed by advocacy group FairSquare, alleges that Infantino violated the IOC’s rules on political neutrality through a series of actions linked to US President Donald Trump. Central to the complaint is FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, allowing the striker to feature in the United States’ Round of 16 defeat to Belgium on July 6.
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Balogun had been shown a straight red card in the 64th minute of the USA’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. Under FIFA regulations, the suspension was automatic and not subject to appeal.
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However, on July 5, FIFA announced: “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year.” The governing body did not provide any further explanation for the decision.
Infantino later acknowledged receiving a phone call from President Trump, who had publicly urged FIFA to review the incident, but denied having any influence over the outcome.
Trump defended his intervention, saying, “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul.”
“And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled,” he added.
The US President also praised FIFA’s decision, saying, “I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible, and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine, nobody talks about the referee’s decision to red card.”
Balogun eventually featured against Belgium, with the United States suffering a 4-1 defeat to exit the tournament.
Responding to the controversy, Infantino maintained that FIFA’s judicial bodies operate independently.
“Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” a statement issued on his behalf and published on FIFA’s website said.
FairSquare argues that Infantino, who has served as an IOC member since 2020, is bound by the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, both of which require strict political neutrality.
The organisation said there was “compelling evidence” that Infantino had committed five breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements and actions perceived as supporting the US President.
In addition to the Balogun suspension, the complaint cites Infantino’s endorsement of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, appearances linked to Trump’s presidential inauguration, the presentation of FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize to Trump, and the promotion of a FIFA World Cup fan platform that FairSquare claims was connected to a data-harvesting campaign associated with the US President.
FairSquare had previously filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee in December. That complaint was backed by the Norwegian Football Federation and later supported by 50 members of the European Parliament through a separate submission in June.
Neither the IOC nor FIFA has publicly commented on the latest complaint.
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