Gianno Infantino is under pressure following governing body’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card
Pressure on Fifa president Gianni Infantino has intensified after more than 70 members of the European Parliament called for an investigation into the decision to allow USA striker Folarin Balogun to play at the World Cup despite an automatic suspension.
The lawmakers have written to the heads of the 27 European Union football associations, urging them to ask Fifa’s Ethics Committee to examine whether political pressure influenced the governing body’s handling of the case.
The move comes after Balogun’s one-match ban was lifted before USA’s last-16 defeat to Belgium.
Balogun was sent off during the nation’s victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 July and was due to miss the next match under Fifa’s disciplinary rules. The suspension was later lifted by Fifa’s disciplinary committee after US president Donald Trump confirmed he had spoken to Infantino and requested that the decision be reviewed, describing the red card as “a great injustice”.
The lawmakers argue that the episode raises serious concerns about Fifa’s commitment to political neutrality.
“Fifa’s decision to change the rule on red card suspensions mid-tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice,” the joint statement said.
“Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and Fifa surrender to the demands of the Trump administration.”
They have asked national football associations across the European Union to seek an ethics investigation into whether pressure from the Trump administration played a role in overturning Balogun’s suspension, while also calling for scrutiny of “other potential breaches of political neutrality”, including Fifa’s decision to award Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.
In a separate letter, the lawmakers said: “Member associations have an important role to play in ensuring that rules are upheld and that those who break them are held accountable.”
The letter added: “Any investigation must now include scrutiny of the decision-making process surrounding Fifa’s decision to rescind the ban imposed on a member of the US men’s national team.”
Infantino has rejected suggestions that he intervened in the disciplinary process.
“Fifa’s judicial bodies are independent,” Infantino said. “They operate autonomously, apply the Fifa Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.
“During our conversation [with President Trump], I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving Fifa’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how Fifa’s system works and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
Fifa has maintained that the decision to lift Balogun’s suspension was made independently by its disciplinary committee.
The controversy has also reached the International Olympic Committee. FairSquare, a London-based sports and human rights organisation, said it will file a complaint with the IOC Ethics Commission, arguing that Infantino has repeatedly breached the principle of political neutrality expected of Olympic members.
IOC president Kirsty Coventry said this week that no complaint had yet been received but added: “Obviously if they do they would look into it.”
Criticism has also come from within European football. Uefa described the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban as “incomprehensible” and said it had “crossed a red line”, while former Wales captain and Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister warned: “Any political leader could potentially pick up the phone and say there’s a precedent for changing a punishment awarded to a player and I think it’s extremely dangerous.”
