FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee's ethics commission over alleged breaches of political neutrality, after US President Donald Trump publicly intervened to lift American striker Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension ahead of a World Cup last-16 match against Belgium.
London-based sports and human rights NGO FairSquare announced Wednesday it would lodge the complaint with the IOC, citing Infantino's "repeated breach of political neutrality rules" — an obligation that applies to him as an IOC member since 2020, when he joined the body's group of invited members. The complaint follows a separate filing made to FIFA's own Ethics Committee in December 2025, which has so far produced no indication that a formal investigation has been opened. That earlier complaint, backed by Norway's football federation and around 50 members of the European Parliament, alleges Infantino breached Article 15 of FIFA's Code of Ethics, which requires officials to remain politically neutral in official dealings. Violations can carry fines of at least 10,000 Swiss francs (around $12,400) and bans of up to two years from football-related activity. FairSquare also questions whether Infantino unilaterally created the FIFA Peace Prize — awarded to Trump at the World Cup draw in Washington in December 2025 — without proper authorisation from the FIFA Council, calling any such unilateral action "an egregious abuse of power."
The immediate trigger for renewed scrutiny was Trump's intervention to have Balogun's suspension reviewed. Trump took public credit for the decision, which was described as unprecedented in modern World Cup history. Infantino denied personal involvement in the final ruling. The US went on to lose 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle, with the Belgian team appearing visibly energised by the controversy. Critics noted that the episode eroded much of the goodwill the United States had built as a World Cup co-host nation. Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup taskforce and son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, defended the intervention at a briefing in Washington, pointing to a 2024 Brazilian senate investigation into referee assignment practices that examined Balogun's red-card referee, Raphael Claus. He later acknowledged, however, that Claus "was not accused of crimes." FIFA has firmly defended the referee, stating he "has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity."
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said Tuesday that no formal complaint had yet been received but confirmed the body would examine one if filed. "Yes, we have been obviously watching everything play out," she said, indicating the IOC was monitoring the controversy over political interference in field-of-play decisions at a tournament co-hosted by a country that will also stage the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Infantino has cultivated close ties with Trump since the US, Canada, and Mexico won the right to host this year's World Cup in 2018, attending Trump's second inauguration in January 2025 and publicly endorsing his work.
The case highlights a broader tension between the political ambitions of sports governing bodies seeking powerful patrons and the neutrality obligations that underpin their credibility. With FairSquare having launched a wider campaign for FIFA reform — called Reboot — just before the tournament began, the Infantino affair looks set to extend well beyond the World Cup itself.