IOC Declines to Probe Fifa President Infantino over Trump-Linked Allegations

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided not to pursue an investigation into allegations that Fifa president Gianni Infantino breached Olympic neutrality rules through his dealings with United States President Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, the human rights organization FairSquare submitted a complaint to the IOC concerning Fifa’s choice to delay a World Cup suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun.

This postponement reportedly followed a personal appeal from President Trump to Infantino to reconsider the red card issued to Balogun.

Although Infantino is a member of the IOC, a committee spokesperson explained that the IOC ethics commission determined it lacked the authority to act, as the complaint primarily involved Fifa’s internal governance and decision-making.

“The IOC ethics commission thoroughly analysed the complaint by FairSquare,” the spokesperson stated.

They added, “The commission observed that under the Olympic Charter, each international federation (IF) retains its independence and autonomy in governance. The IOC Code of Ethics applies to international federations and their officials only in relation to their interactions with the IOC.”

“The ethics commission noted that the complaint, including matters related to the Fifa president, concerns the IF’s governance decisions, management, relations with governments, and enforcement of its sport’s rules, all of which lie outside the IOC Code of Ethics’ jurisdiction.”

“Therefore, the complaint is beyond the scope of the IOC ethics commission. FairSquare has been informed accordingly.”

“Separately, as reaffirmed at the recent IOC Session, the IOC will continue efforts to enhance good governance throughout the Olympic Movement and clarify the roles, responsibilities, and accountability of its constituent organizations.”

FairSquare criticized the IOC’s decision as “absurd,” stating, “The IOC’s commitment to political neutrality is as rigorous as FIFA’s.”

They added, “This ruling will only intensify demands for comprehensive regulation of sports governing bodies, which have shown an inability to enforce their own rules consistently or impartially.”

In December, FairSquare also filed a complaint against Infantino with Fifa’s ethics committee investigatory chamber.

This complaint cited four occasions where FairSquare claimed Infantino publicly supported President Trump’s actions and policies.

It further requested an investigation into Infantino’s involvement in establishing a Fifa Peace Prize, the awarding of this prize to President Trump during the 2026 World Cup draw, and whether these processes complied with Fifa’s procedural rules.

FairSquare reported earlier this month that Fifa’s ethics committee acknowledged receipt of the complaint but has provided no further updates.

This complaint preceded the controversy surrounding the Balogun case.

On July 5, Fifa’s disciplinary committee announced it had suspended the automatic one-match ban for Monaco forward Balogun. The following day, President Trump disclosed that he had personally urged Infantino to reconsider the suspension.

Infantino maintained that Fifa’s committees acted independently, although the disciplinary committee has not explained the circumstances leading to the suspension.

The Times reported that the decision was made solely by the committee chair, Mohammad Al Kamali.

UEFA issued a statement condemning the Balogun suspension as “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin reportedly boycotted the recent final in protest over this decision and other governance concerns within Fifa.

Balogun acknowledged expecting significant backlash following Trump’s intervention, stating he anticipated it would “cause a lot of controversy.”

In an interview with CBS, Balogun reflected on the aftermath: “My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it’s something that is so unique.”

He added, “But the closer we got to the game I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid.”