The International Olympic Committee has received a complaint accusing FIFA President Gianni Infantino of repeatedly violating political neutrality rules through his public support of President Donald Trump.
The complaint, filed by nonprofit advocacy group FairSquare, calls on the IOC to investigate several incidents, including Infantino's alleged role in lifting a one-match suspension for United States striker Folarin Balogun. The decision allowed Balogun to play in the Americans' World Cup round of 16 loss to Belgium on July 6.
Infantino confirmed that Trump called him after the president publicly urged FIFA to make Balogun available for the match. However, the FIFA president denied influencing the disciplinary process, insisting he played no role in the decision to overturn the suspension.
Balogun played as the United States was eliminated 4-1 by Belgium. He received a straight red card in the 64th minute of the Americans' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic. The United States finished the round of 32 match with 10 players, and Balogun was suspended for the next game.
A red card or suspension cannot be appealed. However, FIFA posted the following statement on its website on July 5 without further explanation regarding its application of the disciplinary rules in the case: "By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year."
"All I did was ask for a review because I didn't think it was a foul," Trump said on the day of the match against Belgium. "And, you know, again, I'm good at this stuff. I didn't think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes who crashed into each other and got entangled.
"I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee's call was horrible, and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it's fine. Nobody talks about the referee's decision to issue a red card."
Infantino said FIFA's judicial committees operate independently in a statement issued on his behalf on FIFA's website.
"Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected," the statement said.
FairSquare's complaint questions Infantino's credibility and integrity. Infantino has also been an IOC member since 2020. The organization said he "is obliged to adhere to strict rules on political neutrality in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics," adding that the IOC can expel members who fail to meet those obligations.
"As outlined in the FairSquare complaint, there is compelling evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the U.S. president," FairSquare said on its website.
One "serious breach" cited in the complaint concerns the Balogun case, with Infantino allegedly yielding to pressure from Trump. Another involves Infantino promoting 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," FairSquare said.
Another alleged breach was Infantino's supportive post on his Instagram account after attending an event linked to Trump's presidential inauguration in January 2025.
Infantino also publicly endorsed Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 and made additional supportive comments in November. In December, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
FairSquare also filed a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee in December. That complaint was backed by the Norwegian Football Federation, while 50 members of the European Parliament expressed support in a separate letter dated June 29.
The IOC and FIFA did not respond to requests for comment from multiple media outlets.