​GENEVA (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino is being referred to Olympic ethics investigators over a potential violation of political neutrality, a London-based human rights group said Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s role in blocking a World Cup player’s suspension. Trump publicly claimed credit Monday for FIFA’s decision—an unprecedented move in modern World Cup history—to allow United States forward Folarin Balogun to participate in Monday’s match against Belgium despite his red card in the team’s previous game. A visibly energized Belgium side, riled by the controversy, prevailed 4-1 in Seattle.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) emphasizes neutrality as a core principle of Olympism for sports bodies like FIFA and has jurisdiction over Infantino, who joined the IOC’s exclusive roster of more than 100 invited members in 2020. FairSquare, the London-based sports and human rights nonprofit, announced on Wednesday its intention to file a formal complaint with the IOC Ethics Commission, alleging Infantino’s repeated breaches of political neutrality. The organization said it would submit the complaint after noting that the IOC had not yet received any such submissions, according to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who spoke Tuesday during an online news briefing.
Coventry acknowledged that if a complaint were filed, it would be reviewed by the IOC. “Obviously if they do they would look into it,” she said, in reference to the Balogun case, which has been magnified by the involvement of the Trump administration in lobbying FIFA and Infantino. Earlier, Coventry had been asked about outside interference in field-of-play matters by the World Cup’s co-host nation, which also has the responsibility of hosting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
FIFA was contacted for comment about the complaint lodged with the IOC concerning Infantino’s conduct. Infantino has cultivated close ties with Trump since 2018, when the United States, Canada and Mexico secured the bid to host this year’s World Cup. The FIFA president has frequently visited the White House, including attending Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, and in November praised the president’s work as “pretty good” and suggested that supporters should back him.
Infantino is also linked to a high-profile peace initiative within FIFA; he created the FIFA Peace Prize, which was awarded to Trump at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., last December. Senior soccer officials privately indicated that designating the peace prize was an executive decision by Infantino, rather than a formal, widely consulted process.
FairSquare has a separate formal complaint with FIFA’s ethics committee dating back to December, alleging violations of political neutrality by Infantino. The Norway Football Federation and approximately 50 members of the European Parliament have joined in backing that challenge. FIFA has not provided an update on the FairSquare complaint in the seven months since it was filed.
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