Gianni Infantino: IOC will not investigate Fifa president as complaint 'outside' its scope

Gianni Infantino: IOC will not investigate Fifa president as complaint 'outside' its scope

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declined to investigate FIFA president Gianni Infantino following allegations that his relationship with United States President Donald Trump breached rules regarding political neutrality.

The decision follows a complaint submitted by the human rights group FairSquare. The organization alleged that Infantino breached neutrality standards through his dealings with the U.S. President, specifically citing a situation where a World Cup suspension for U.S. Striker Folarin Balogun was deferred after President Trump personally requested that Infantino review the player's red card.

Although Infantino is a member of the IOC, a spokesperson for the organization stated that the ethics commission concluded it lacked jurisdiction to investigate because the complaint focused on FIFA's governance and decisions. The spokesperson noted that under the Olympic Charter, international federations maintain autonomy and independence in their governance.

"The IOC Code of Ethics’ scope of application vis-a-vis the international federations and their officials is specifically limited to their relations with the IOC."

IOC spokesperson, via Lancashire Telegraph

The IOC ethics commission further stated that the complaint referred to the international federation's management, its relations with government, and its implementation of sports rules, all of which fall outside the scope of the IOC code of ethics. FairSquare has been informed of this decision, which the group described as absurd.

In a statement, FairSquare argued that the IOC's commitment to political neutrality is as rigorous as FIFA's and claimed this outcome adds impetus to calls for the wholesale regulation of sports governing bodies, asserting they show no ability to enforce rules with impartiality or consistency.

The Balogun Red Card Controversy

The dispute centers on a match where the United States defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. During that game, Folarin Balogun received a red card for fouling Tarik Muharemović. Balogun was expected to miss the subsequent Round of 16 clash against Belgium due to an automatic one-match ban.

On July 5, FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced the ban had been suspended for 12 months. The following day, President Trump revealed he had personally lobbied Infantino to review the decision. Following this intervention, Balogun started the tie against Belgium, which the United States lost 4-1.

While Infantino maintained that FIFA’s committees acted independently, no specific explanation was provided by the disciplinary committee for the deferral beyond a reference to a regulation allowing sanctions to be suspended. The Times reported that the decision was made alone by committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali.

UEFA issued a statement calling the decision unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is understood to have avoided last Sunday's final in protest over the issue and other governance concerns.

Expanding Legal and Ethical Challenges

The fallout has expanded beyond the IOC. The Norwegian Football Federation is considering filing a formal complaint to FIFA's ethics committee. Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness stated the decision to reverse the red card cannot be ignored, asserting that the verdict was influenced by external forces and lacked proper process.

"When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk."

Lise Klaveness, Norwegian Football Federation president, via EssentiallySports

Norway is also considering linking the red card matter with a separate complaint regarding the FIFA Peace Prize, which was awarded to President Trump during the 2026 World Cup draw.

This follows a previous complaint filed by FairSquare to FIFA’s ethics committee in December. That filing alleged Infantino expressed public support for the policies and actions of President Trump in four separate instances and questioned the conformity of the FIFA Peace Prize process with procedural rules. FairSquare reported receiving an acknowledgement of that complaint from FIFA, but no further information has been provided.

FIFA has previously rejected a complaint from Belgium regarding the incident and maintained that an independent investigation took place, denying President Trump's involvement despite his own confirmation of the contact.

The Norwegian FA board is scheduled to meet on August 6 to decide whether to proceed with a formal ethics complaint.