FairSquare’s complaint against the FIFA president has reached the International Olympic Committee, which will examine whether he breached his duties of independence and neutrality after Donald Trump’s call over the US footballer’s suspension.
The controversy that began with a red card during the FIFA World Cup, which ends Sunday in New York, has formally reached the organisations’ Lausanne headquarters as IOC member Gianni Infantino’s conduct has elicited scrutiny outside FIFA’s internal mechanisms.
Team USA striker Folarin Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 July, but the Disciplinary Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association later suspended the execution of his sanction for one year under article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The red card remained in force, although the suspension allowed the forward to play five days later against Belgium, when the United States lost 4-1 and was eliminated.
The case ceased to be purely disciplinary when United States President Donald Trump admitted calling Infantino to request a review, later saying that “all I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul”, before describing Balogun’s post-match clearance as ‘a really brilliant’ decision and the original referee’s ruling as a ‘great injustice’.
Infantino confirmed the conversation but denied influencing the outcome. He said he had informed the US president that a process was under way before FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and added, “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold”.
Trump (L) receives FIFA’s Peace Prize from Infantino in Washington. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
The non-profit human rights group FairSquare argues that, if any intervention followed the call, the independence of the process may have been compromised and Infantino may have breached the obligations he assumed as an IOC member.
The complaint also questions how the ruling was reached. According to The Times, FIFA Disciplinary Committee Chair Mohammad Al Kamali decided alone to suspend the sanction, something that had not happened in comparable cases.
FIFA defended the legality of the measure and the independence of its judicial bodies, but did not provide a detailed explanation of either the committee’s composition or the criteria applied.
The legal debate therefore extends beyond the sending-off, with the central issue laying on whether the review followed the rules and remained free from external influence or not.
The complaint is not limited to Balogun’s case. FairSquare lists several occasions on which it believes Infantino expressed political support for Trump, including his backing for the president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the presentation of FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in December 2025.
Coventry (L) speaks with Infantino during the 145th IOC Session.
During that ceremony, Infantino told Trump, “You can always count, Mr President, on my support”. FairSquare argues that the statement was incompatible with the neutrality required under Olympic rules and the FIFA Code of Ethics.
The IOC had already examined another incident in February, when Infantino attended the so-called Board of Peace and wore a red cap referring to Trump’s two terms in office. On that occasion, it concluded that there had been no breach of the Olympic Charter.
This case is different because the allegation directly concerns a disciplinary ruling made during the World Cup after a call acknowledged by the head of state of the host country.
The IOC has not publicly announced the opening of proceedings or reached any conclusions on the allegations. FIFA, meanwhile, maintains that Infantino did not intervene in the ruling.
The United States were eliminated and Balogun’s clearance no longer carries immediate sporting consequences. The case nevertheless remains open institutionally. The remaining question is whether the relationship between Infantino and Trump stayed within protocol or crossed the line between politics and sporting justice.
*Source: Insidethegames.biz