IOC Refuses to Investigate Infantino's Ties with Trump as Balogun Red Card Controversy Deepens

The International Olympic Committee has officially declined to investigate FIFA President Gianni Infantino over allegations that he violated Olympic neutrality rules by engaging with U.S. President Donald Trump. The IOC Ethics Commission rejected a complaint filed by human rights group FairSquare earlier this month. In its response, the commission argued that the case falls outside its jurisdiction. According to the Olympic Charter, each international federation maintains its own independence and autonomy in internal governance. "The scope of the IOC Code of Ethics regarding international federations and their officials is specifically limited to their relationships directly with the IOC," the commission stated. "This complaint concerns FIFA's decisions regarding its governance, including relations with a government, which goes beyond the application of our code." The trigger for FairSquare's complaint was the controversial overturning of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match suspension on July 5. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Mohammed Al-Kamali, suddenly revoked the red card ban. The very next day, Donald Trump publicly claimed he had personally asked Infantino to review the decision. Infantino has maintained that FIFA's committees operate independently, but no official explanation for the reversal has been provided. The Times reported that Al-Kamali made the decision unilaterally. FairSquare had previously filed a separate complaint in December, citing four instances where Infantino publicly backed Trump's policies. The group is also demanding an investigation into the legality of the "FIFA Peace Prize" awarded to Trump during the 2026 World Cup draw. FIFA has yet to respond. The fallout has been severe. UEFA issued a sharp statement calling the suspension reversal "unprecedented, inexplicable, and unjustified." UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final last Sunday in protest.