Infantino faces IOC complaint over Trump call that lifted Balogun's World Cup ban

Fifa president Gianni Infantino is facing a formal complaint lodged with the International Olympic Committee, alleging he breached political neutrality rules in his dealings with US President Donald Trump — most notably over the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s one-match World Cup ban.

Human rights organisation FairSquare, which filed the complaint, claims Infantino — an IOC member since 2020 — has repeatedly violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC’s code of ethics. The group outlines five clear breaches of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality, alongside prima facie evidence of two additional serious violations, including the Balogun case.

Balogun’s ban was controversially suspended by Fifa’s disciplinary committee, allowing the US striker to feature in a last-16 match against Belgium. The decision came after a phone call between Trump and Infantino, despite the Swiss official’s insistence that Fifa’s committees operate independently. Reports indicate that disciplinary committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali made the decision to suspend the ban alone — a departure from previous cases in which he was never the sole arbiter. Fifa has yet to provide an explanation.

FairSquare had previously submitted a similar complaint to Fifa’s own ethics committee in December, which was acknowledged but received no further response. Last month, the Norwegian football federation wrote to the same committee requesting the complaint be considered, and on 29 June, fifty Members of the European Parliament urged the committee to address the allegations.

Both Fifa and the IOC have been approached for comment.

The controversy over Balogun’s ban has been amplified by the contrasting treatment of other players at the tournament. England defender Jarell Quansah received a two-match ban following his red card in the Three Lions’ 3-2 win over Mexico, ruling him out until the final should England progress. France’s attempt to appeal a yellow card shown to Michael Olise in their 1-0 round-of-16 win over Paraguay was unsuccessful, though the Bayern Munich winger avoided a booking in the quarter-final win against Morocco and is available for the semi-final against Spain.