Gianni Infantino appears set to avoid any sanctions following allegations of violating political neutrality guidelines in his interactions with Donald Trump regarding the Folarin Balogun incident.
This week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) received a formal complaint from FairSquare, a human rights organization, concerning Infantino’s actions after Trump disclosed that he had contacted the FIFA president to urge a review of Balogun’s suspension from the USA’s match against Belgium in the World Cup’s last-16 stage. The ban was later lifted for a year due to an unprecedented ruling by FIFA’s disciplinary committee.
Since joining the IOC in 2020, Infantino has been bound by its charter, which mandates that members maintain independence from political and commercial influences. This charter explicitly prohibits accepting any mandates or instructions from external parties that might compromise their autonomy in decision-making.
FairSquare’s assertion is that Infantino’s dialogue with Trump constitutes a breach of these rules. However, Infantino has refuted this claim, and insiders suggest that a formal investigation into the matter is improbable.
According to IOC sources, there is considerable hesitance to intervene in how international federations enforce their own regulations, especially when internal appeals processes remain unresolved.
Furthermore, a source indicated that the balance of influence between the IOC and FIFA has changed notably over the past twenty years, with the IOC growing increasingly dependent on FIFA for commercial income and engagement with younger demographics.
As the next summer Olympic Games are scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028, the IOC is likely eager to leverage the surge in football’s popularity in the United States, which has seen unprecedented ticket sales and revenue from the World Cup. This context makes any action against Balogun even less likely.
Notably, the IOC has not yet received any complaints from UEFA or the Royal Belgian Football Federation, both of which have expressed disapproval of the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban.
The Belgian federation has stated that it is exploring all legal avenues, including a potential appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, they have remained silent since the national team was eliminated from the World Cup by Spain in the quarter-finals, with indications that they may be prepared to abandon the issue.
The federation’s president, Pascale Van Damme, is also a member of the FIFA Council, the governing body’s primary decision-making body.
Infantino seems to have navigated this scandal successfully, maintaining his support among FIFA’s members, with over 200 of the 211 FIFA member associations having sent letters of endorsement ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Despite issuing a robust statement in support of Belgium, UEFA is reportedly choosing not to pursue the matter further, after having accused FIFA of jeopardizing football’s credibility and the integrity of the World Cup.
Infantino has confirmed that he spoke with Trump regarding this issue; however, a statement attributed to him by FIFA last week noted that he regularly discusses a variety of topics with heads of state.
He further stated that the decision to lift Balogun’s ban was made independently by FIFA’s disciplinary committee. “from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote” he remarked. “They operate autonomously, apply the Fifa disciplinary code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them,”
According to a recent report, the decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension was made solely by the chair of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali from the UAE. However, there are suggestions within FIFA that he is being positioned as a scapegoat.
A unilateral action by al-Kamali would mark a notable deviation from the disciplinary committee’s typical procedures during a World Cup, which usually involve three-person panels appointed to oversee disciplinary issues and decisions made through majority voting.
Panel members are selected from the 18 members of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, with Thomas Hollerer, general secretary of the Austrian Football Association, leading the panel from the quarter-finals.
The Guardian has not been able to identify the panel members for the round of 32, the stage where Balogun received a red card in the USA’s 2-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FIFA has not disclosed the written rationale for the disciplinary committee’s decision; however, it stated last week that the ruling was made after considering all specific circumstances surrounding the incident and the available evidence. FIFA added that “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”
