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FIFA president Gianni Infantino could face an investigation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following an announcement by a rights group to file a complaint, alleging a breach of political neutrality rules through his support for US president Donald Trump.
FIFA handed a one-match ban to the US striker Folarin Balogun after being shown a red card during his side's win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, but interventions from US president Trump and a legal team of US Soccer saw the red card rescinded, with FIFA citing Article 27 of its disciplinary code to allow him to face Belgium in the last 16. Now, the human rights group FairSquare has stepped in, saying that it would lodge a complaint with the IOC against the FIFA chief's "repeated breach of political neutrality rules." Infantino has been a part of the IOC since 2020. FairSquare filed a complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee way back in December 2025, citing instances where Infantino "expressed his public support for the actions and policies" of Trump", as per Reuters. "It also requests that the Ethics Committee investigate Mr Infantino's role in the decision to introduce a FIFA Peace Prize, the decision to award it to President Trump ... and the conformity of these processes with FIFA's procedural rules," FairSquare said. Reuters has asked FIFA for a comment. FairSquare's complaint reasons that Infantino has violated Article 15 of FIFA's 'Code of Ethics' which deals with the matter of neutrality and duty towards maintaining the same. Persons who are bound by this set of codes of FIFA should stay politically neutral in official dealings, with breaches attracting a fine of at least 10,000 Swiss francs plus a two-year ban from all football-related activities. The complaint also urges the Ethics Committee to investigate whether the decision of introduce an annual Peace Prize and hand it to Trump before the tournament draw was taken by FIFA's Council or by Infantino himself, adding that if it is a case of the latter, it is an "egregious abuse of power". "If Mr Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be considered an egregious abuse of power," FairSquare said. IOC president Kirsty Coventry said on Tuesday that they had received no complaints to be considered by their ethics commission, but added, that they would be looked into. "Obviously, if they do, they would look into it," said Kirsty. While FIFA's Secretariat of the Investigatory Chamber acknowledged that they had received a complaint on Infantino back in December, FIFA has still given "no indication" that an investigation against president Infantino has started, said FairSquare. (ANI)
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