FIFA president Infantino faces IOC complaint over political neutrality breaches in Trump support

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FIFA president Infantino faces IOC complaint over political neutrality breaches in Trump support

Infantino has acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who publicly pushed for Balogun to be allowed to play.

3 min readUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 10:38 AM IST

US President Donald Trump has admitted that he intervened to get FIFA to allow Folarin Balogun to play the hosts' FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium. (AP Photo)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a complaint over alleged political neutrality breaches, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked to investigate his ties to US President Donald Trump, including his role in a controversial World Cup red-card decision, Reuters reported.

The complaint, filed by advocacy group FairSquare, claims Infantino violated IOC rules on multiple occasions. Among the instances cited is his possible involvement in overturning a one-match ban for US striker Folarin Balogun, allowing him to feature against Belgium in the Round of 16 on July 6.

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Infantino has acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who publicly pushed for Balogun to be allowed to play. However, the FIFA president has insisted he did not interfere with the disciplinary process.

Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the US’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. The US won 2-0 with 10 men, but Balogun was automatically suspended for the next game.

FIFA’s statement on ban

FIFA later issued a brief statement on its website on July 5, citing Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the ban for a probationary period of one year, without offering further explanation.

Trump defended his intervention on the day of the Belgium match. “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said. “I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that.”

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Infantino, through a statement on FIFA’s website, said the governing body’s judicial committees operate independently. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” the statement read.

FairSquare, in its complaint, argues that Infantino, who became an IOC member in 2020, is bound by strict neutrality rules under the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics. The group has pointed to five specific instances of alleged breaches, including his public endorsement of Trump for the Nobel Prize in October 2025 and supportive social media posts following Trump’s inauguration.

The complaint also highlights Infantino’s promotion of a FIFA fan site for the 2026 World Cup, which FairSquare claims “appears to have been part of a data-harvesting campaign run by entities linked to President Trump.” Additionally, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in December.

A separate complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee, filed by FairSquare in December, has received support from the Norwegian football federation and 50 members of the European Parliament, according to Reuters.

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