JAKARTA - A complaint accusing FIFA President Gianni Infantino of violating political neutrality rules in his dealings with US President Donald Trump has been filed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Human rights non-profit organization FairSquare said Infantino - who became an IOC member in 2020 - had repeatedly violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics - most recently in his handling of the case of the striker of the United States National Team, Folarin Balogun.
The one-match ban against the United States striker was suspended by FIFA's Disciplinary Committee so that he could play in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 against Belgium.
This followed a phone call from Trump to Infantino, in which the FIFA president insisted that the FIFA Committee was completely independent.
News of the complaint comes after ESPN reported that dozens of European lawmakers are rallying support to launch an investigation into the FIFA president at the European Parliament.
The IOC cites neutrality as one of the basic principles of the Olympics for sports bodies such as FIFA and has jurisdiction over Infantino since he joined an exclusive group of more than 100 invitees in 2020.
The Times also reported for the first time that FIFA's Disciplinary Committee chairman, Mohammad Al Kamali, made the crucial decision to suspend Balogun's punishment alone as he had never been the sole decider in a previously published disciplinary case.
FairSquare's complaint to the IOC Ethics Commission accused the five of clear violations of the IOC's rules on political neutrality, along with "prima facie" evidence of two other serious violations - including the handling of the Balogun case.
"Gianni Infantino has repeatedly violated the IOC's rules on political neutrality by offering his political support to the President of the United States, Donald Trump."
"As outlined below, the evidence shows that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of the IOC's rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the President of the United States."
"We have also provided preliminary evidence of two other serious violations, which we ask the IOC to investigate. The first relates to the possible approval of political pressure from President Donald Trump to avoid disciplinary rules on the FIFA pitch during the 2026 World Cup."
"The second relates to Infantino's promotion of a FIFA fan site for the 2026 World Cup, which appears to be part of a data collection campaign run by an entity associated with President Donald Trump," FairSquare said in a statement.
In December 2025, FairSquare filed a similar complaint with the FIFA Ethics Committee. FairSquare said it had received notification that its complaint had been received, but had not received any further information.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Football Federation wrote to FIFA's Ethics Committee last month asking it to consider FairSquare's complaint.
Fifty members of the European Parliament wrote a letter to the same committee on June 29, 2026, urging the committee to respond to FairSquare's complaint.
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