Football
IOC will not sanction Gianni Infantino over Folarin Balogun affair, citing limits of its ethics code
The International Olympic Committee said the complaint from NGO FairSquare about FIFA president Gianni Infantino's role in lifting Folarin Balogun's World Cup suspension does not fall under its ethics code.
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In brief
The complaint concerned FIFA governance and relations with public authorities, which the IOC says are outside its ethics code.
President Trump confirmed he called Infantino to request lifting Balogun's suspension before the USA-Belgium match.
The IOC rejected a complaint by FairSquare that Infantino, who is also an IOC member, had breached the organisation's political neutrality rules when he intervened to allow the US forward to play in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 against Belgium.
“This complaint relates solely to the international federation's decisions on its governance and management, including its relations with public authorities, as well as the federation's implementation of its own sporting rules — two aspects that fall outside the scope of the IOC Code of Ethics.”
President Donald Trump has acknowledged that he called Infantino before the match to ask for the suspension to be lifted. Balogun played but the United States lost the match 4-1.
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Sources and context
- Gianni Infantino
- FIFA president and IOC member, accused of breaching political neutrality rules
- Folarin Balogun
- US forward whose suspension was lifted after Trump's call
- Donald Trump
- President of the United States, called Infantino to request lifting Balogun's suspension
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