FIFA's Infantino targeted by complaint to Olympic ethics body after Trump lobbying on Balogun ban
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces a referral to Olympic ethics investigators for allegedly breaching political neutrality.
- The complaint follows U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention to lift a ban on player Folarin Balogun.
- A human rights group, FairSquare, is filing the complaint, citing Infantino's "repeated breach of political neutrality rules."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is reportedly being referred to Olympic ethics investigators for a potential breach of political neutrality, according to a human rights group. The complaint arises from actions taken after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened to help lift a World Cup player's ban.
FairSquare will file a complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino's repeated breach of political neutrality rules.
Trump had publicly taken credit for FIFA's decision to allow U.S. forward Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium, despite Balogun receiving a red card in a previous game. This decision was described as unprecedented in modern World Cup history. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cites neutrality as a fundamental principle for sports bodies like FIFA.
Obviously if they do they would look into it.
The London-based NGO, FairSquare, announced its intention to file a formal complaint with the IOC Ethics Commission. This follows earlier statements from the IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, who noted that no such complaint had yet been received. FairSquare's complaint will focus on Infantino's alleged "repeated breach of political neutrality rules."
Yes, we have been obviously watching everything play out.
Infantino has cultivated close ties with Trump since 2018, when the U.S. was part of the winning bid to host the 2026 World Cup. The FIFA leader has been a frequent visitor to the White House and has publicly supported Trump's work. FairSquare had previously filed a complaint to FIFA's ethics committee in December regarding Infantino and political neutrality, a case that is reportedly supported by the Norway soccer federation and members of the European Parliament, but has seen no update in seven months.
we should all support the president's work as it was pretty good.
Originally published by PBS NewsHour. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.