The International Olympic Committee has received a complaint alleging FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly breached rules on political neutrality in his support of President Donald Trump.
FairSquare, a nonprofit organization and advocacy group, asked the IOC to investigate, among several instances, Infantino’s possible involvement in the suspension of a one-game ban for striker Folarin Balogun, enabling him to play for the United States in a round of 16 match on July 6 against Belgium.
Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who publicly lobbied for Balogun to play, but the FIFA president said he did not interfere with the decision-making process.
Balogun played as the USMNT was eliminated 4-1 by Belgium. He had received a direct red card in the 64th minute of a July 1 match for a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic. The U.S. went on to win 2-0 with 10 men in the round of 32, and Balogun was suspended for the next game.
A red card or suspension cannot be appealed. FIFA, however, posted this message without further explanation to its website on July 5 about its use of the rule book in the case: “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.”
“All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said on the day of the game against Belgium. “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.
“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 the referee’s decision to red card.”
Infantino said FIFA’s judicial committees act autonomously in a statement on his behalf on FIFA’s website.
“Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” the statement read.
FairSquare, in its complaint, is questioning the credibility and integrity of Infantino, who also became an IOC member in 2020. The organization said he “is obliged to adhere to strict rules on political neutrality in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, adding that the IOC can expel members who don’t fulfill these obligations.
“As outlined in the FairSquare complaint, there is compelling evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US President,” FairSquare posted on its website.
One “serious breach” in the complaint was the Balogun situation with Infantino possibly giving in to pressure from Trump. Another was Infantino promoting a FIFA fan site for the 2026 World Cup, “which appears to have been part of a data-harvesting campaign run by entities linked to President Trump,” FairSquare wrote.
Another alleged breach was Infantino’s supportive post on his Instagram account after attending an event linked to Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2025.
Infantino also publicly endorsed Trump for the Nobel Prize in October 2025, and he made more supportive comments in November. In December, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
FairSquare also made a complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee in December, which was supported by the Norwegian football federation as well as 50 members of the European Parliament in a separate writing on June 29.
The IOC and FIFA did not respond to requests for comment from multiple media outlets.
–Field Level Media
