FIFA President Gianni Infantino is “facing a formal complaint” lodged with the IOC, “alleging breaches of political neutrality rules” in his dealings with President Trump, according to Jamie Gardner of the London INDEPENDENT. Human rights organization FairSquare claims that Infantino, an IOC member, has “repeatedly violated the Olympic Charter and the IOC’s code of ethics.” The most recent incident cited is his handling of the USMNT F Folarin Balogun affair. FairSquare’s complaint “outlines five clear breaches of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality, alongside ‘prima facie’ evidence of two additional serious breaches, including the Balogun case.” The group previously submitted a similar complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee in December. Additionally, “fifty Members of the European Parliament urged the same committee on June 29 to address the allegations” (London INDEPENDENT, 7/14).
DETAILING THE ALLEGATIONS: In London, Martyn Ziegler noted the latest IOC complaint alleges: “Infantino has repeatedly breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by offering his political support for the President of the United States, Donald Trump.” The complaint “goes on to detail ‘two further serious breaches,’ which it calls on the IOC to investigate.” It adds, “The first of these relates to possible acquiescence to political pressure from President Trump to circumvent Fifa’s on-field disciplinary rules during the 2026 men’s World Cup.” FairSquare claims that the second alleged breach “relates to a Fifa fan site for the 2026 World Cup, ‘which appears to have been part of a data-harvesting campaign run by entities linked to President Trump’” (London TIMES, 7/14).
REALATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESIDENT: THE ATHLETIC’s Claydon & Millar noted 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 that “people should support what the president was doing.” The organization had also “filed a complaint into 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.” Infantino was “subsequently cleared by the IOC of breaching its rules on political neutrality” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/14).
