IOC receives complaint over Infantino's alleged political neutrality breaches

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By Trust Ittai 

 

 


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has received a complaint accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of repeatedly violating rules on political neutrality through his public support for U.S. President Donald Trump.


The complaint, filed by advocacy group FairSquare, highlights several incidents, including the suspension of Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban, which allowed the striker to feature in the United States' 4-1 World Cup round-of-16 defeat to Belgium. 


Although Infantino confirmed receiving a call from Trump, who publicly urged FIFA to allow Balogun to play, he insisted he did not influence the decision, stating FIFA's judicial committees operate independently.


FairSquare also cited Infantino's public endorsement of Trump, including support for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, social media posts, and his presentation of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the U.S. president. 


The group argues these actions breach the IOC's Code of Ethics, which requires members to remain politically neutral.


The organization has urged the IOC to investigate the matter, while a similar complaint previously submitted to FIFA's ethics committee has received backing from the Norwegian Football Federation and 50 members of the European Parliament.

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