FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been reported to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over an alleged violation of rules on political neutrality. The complaint, lodged by human rights organisation FairSquare, follows Infantino's interactions with United States President Donald Trump concerning the lifting of Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension at the World Cup.
Balogun, a USMNT striker, had his red card overturned by FIFA's disciplinary committee, clearing him to play in the last-16 clash against Belgium. This decision came after a telephone conversation between President Trump and Infantino. The FIFA chief insisted that the committees operate independently, but FairSquare claims this incident is part of a pattern of breaches by Infantino, who joined the IOC in 2020.
FairSquare's Complaint Details Violations
FairSquare's complaint identifies five clear violations of the IOC's rules on political neutrality, alongside prima facie evidence of two additional serious violations, including the management of the Balogun situation. The Times reported that disciplinary committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali took the decision to lift the suspension alone, despite never having been the sole decision-maker in any previously published disciplinary matters. FIFA has provided no clarification as to why the suspension was lifted.
In December, FairSquare submitted a comparable complaint to FIFA's ethics committee. The organisation confirmed it had received acknowledgement of receipt but no further updates. Last month, the Norwegian football federation submitted a letter to FIFA's ethics committee calling for an examination of FairSquare's complaint. On June 29, 50 members of the European Parliament also wrote to the same committee, urging it to address the grievance.
Balogun Addresses Controversy
Balogun addressed the situation on CBS Mornings, admitting Trump's involvement caused a distraction for the USMNT. He said: "My initial reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team. But when I started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy. And I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it's something that is so unique. But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could but it was difficult - a lot of outside noise and that's hard to avoid. It was confusing because the team was practicing without me in the team, I'm almost just playing a supporting role to keep morale high."
Political Implications for FIFA Presidency
The latest FIFA debacle is likely to play into UEFA's hands, who want to pitch a candidate to run against Infantino at the next FIFA presidential election, according to talkSPORT. Infantino is seeking a third term and had hoped for an unopposed re-election, but there is growing support for other candidates within UEFA. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin would be the most credible candidate to succeed the FIFA chief, yet he reportedly has no desire to go toe-to-toe with Infantino, despite previous clashes.
A number of UEFA federations, including Belgium and Poland, would support PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi standing in the next election, but he is reported to have no interest in putting himself forward. Senior figures within Bosnian, Norwegian, Swedish, German and Spanish football have held talks over supporting Legia owner Dariusz Mioduski, with backing potentially growing further. Beyond UEFA, Concacaf president Victor Montagliani and Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe have also been mooted as possible candidates. Motsepe has made no secret of his ambition to one day occupy the FIFA presidency.
