The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it will not investigate whether Gianni Infantino was involved in the decision to suspend U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match World Cup ban — a claim the FIFA president, who is an IOC member, has denied — as the complaint is outside its scope.
It follows a request made by FairSquare, which alleged Infantino had breached the IOC charter by failing to adhere to rules on political neutrality “through statements or other clear expressions of support for the U.S. president”.
FairSquare is a non-profit organization and advocacy group which focuses mainly on global labour migration rights, political repression and sport. Part of its aims are to promote a “better, more democratic governance to prevent sporting institutions contributing to harm and suffering.”
FairSquare said that, should Infantino have intervened in the decision to reverse Balogun’s suspension following U.S. President Donald Trump’s request, it would represent a neutrality breach and undermine sporting integrity.
When the FIFA president was sworn in as an IOC member in Lausanne in 2020, he said, via Reuters: “I will always act independently of commercial and political interests as well as of any racial or religious consideration.”
Section two of the Olympic Charter states: “Members of the IOC will not accept from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote.”
On Friday, the IOC said the complaint against the 56-year-old head of world football’s governing body had been “thoroughly analysed”, but fell outside the jurisdiction of its ethics commission.
“The current complaint, with regard to the FIFA president, refers only to the international federation’s decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the international federation’s implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC code of ethics,” it said.
The Athletic has contacted FIFA for comment.
The IOC’s decision comes a day after the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) said it intends to make a formal complaint to FIFA over Trump’s role in the suspension of Balogun’s World Cup ban.
“This case was so serious and so worrying that I hope that it might contribute to bringing people out a little bit and not fear bringing up cases,” NFF president Lise Klaveness said in an interview with The Times of London. “I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss with my board, and then we do it (complain).”
Klaveness said it was widely acknowledged the decision was “influenced” by “external forces” without due process and argued the working around of rules put the fundamentals of the game in jeopardy.
How did the Balogun situation unfold?
Balogun received a straight red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round-of-32 stage for a foul on opponent Tarik Muharemovic, a sanction which is automatically accompanied by a one-game suspension under Article 10.5 of FIFA’s rules for the tournament.
Balogun was made eligible to face Belgium in the next round after FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the sanction. U.S. President Donald Trump later said he had called Infantino and asked for the case to be reviewed.
Folarin Balogun was dismissed for his challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. (Michael Steele / Getty Images)
“All I did, I asked for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said after the decision was reversed. “And again, I’m good at this stuff. I think they made a brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible.”
Balogun, 25, was made available for the round-of-16 game against Belgium, which he started. His side’s 4-1 defeat eliminated the U.S. from the tournament.
Infantino has denied interfering in the decision-making process and said FIFA’s judicial bodies act independently. “They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them,” a statement on his behalf published on FIFA’s website read. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”
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Infantino confirmed he had spoken on the phone to President Trump on this issue, and said he pointed him to the independence of the committees. Infantino stressed he spoke to Trump regularly on a range of issues, as he does with other heads of state.
Scrutiny on Infantino, Trump
FairSquare have alleged Infantino has publicly supported Trump on five occasions.
The first alleged breach relates to a video Infantino published on his Instagram account after attending an event linked to Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2025. FairSquare reports that Infantino concluded the video by saying: “Together we will make not only America great again but also the entire world.”
FairSquare argues that Infantino was betraying his neutrality by mirroring the Make America Great Again (MAGA) language often used by Trump in political campaigning and in his agenda.
The complaint also cites Infantino’s public endorsement of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 and comments at the American Business Forum the following month, when he described Trump as “a really close friend” and said people should support what the president was doing.
On October 9, the day before the scheduled announcement of the winner — which would be Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado — Infantino, referring to Trump’s role in an Israel-Gaza ceasefire, wrote on Instagram: “President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions.” According to FairSquare, this intervention “constitutes a clear personal endorsement of President Trump’s intervention in a contentious political situation.”
In Washington D.C., Infantino presented Trump with FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize in the Kennedy Centre at the World Cup draw in December and told him: “You can always count, Mr. President, on my support.”
FairSquare’s complaint argues: “This constitutes a clear personal endorsement of President Trump’s foreign policy in numerous countries and ongoing armed conflicts. Statements of this nature breach the duty of neutrality outlined in Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.”
The organisation had also filed a complaint about Infantino’s appearance at the first meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace in February. The FIFA president wore a red “45-47” hat — a reference to Trump’s non-consecutive presidencies.
Gianni Infantino wore a hat with a reference to Donald Trump being the 45th and then 47th U.S. president (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Infantino was subsequently cleared by the IOC of breaching its rules on political neutrality.
The non-profit organisation has also asked the IOC to examine his promotion of a World Cup fan zone where supporters’ data was allegedly collected by a Trump-linked company.
FairSquare previously filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee in December 2025. That case has since received support from the Norwegian Football Federation and members of the European Parliament.
Earlier this month, 72 MEPs (members of the European Parliament, one of the legislative bodies of the European Union) wrote to the 27 heads of EU football associations, calling for an investigation into the decision-making process in the Balogun case.
That follows 50 MEPs writing to FIFA on June 29, demanding that it addresses an ethics complaint regarding Infantino awarding the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to President Trump in December 2025 and alleging “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by Infantino.
