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FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces ethics referral over Trump World Cup call

sportsJul 20, 2026674,586

FairSquare, a London sports and human rights NGO, has filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee asking the IOC Ethics Commission to investigate FIFA president Gianni Infantino for breaching political neutrality after US President Donald Trump lobbied FIFA to block a red-card suspension for United States forward Folarin Balogun. FIFA then allowed Balogun to play against Belgium; Belgium beat the United States 4-1 in Seattle and eliminated the US from the tournament. The IOC has jurisdiction because Infantino became one of its invited members in 2020 and IOC president Kirsty Coventry said investigators would look into any formal complaint; she had earlier said none had been received. FairSquare had already lodged a separate complaint with FIFA’s own ethics committee in December alleging political neutrality breaches, a case supported by the Norway soccer federation and about 50 members of the European Parliament, but FIFA has given no update in seven months. The referral highlights scrutiny of Infantino’s close ties to Trump dating to the 2018 North America 2026 World Cup bid, including regular White House visits since Infantino attended Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025 and Infantino creating a FIFA Peace Prize that was awarded to Trump at the Washington World Cup draw in December.

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