Human rights group FairSquare has filed a regulatory complaint with the International Olympic Committee against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, following the controversial overturning of US striker Folarin Balogun's World Cup suspension.
The complaint, submitted Tuesday morning, alleges that Infantino violated Olympic codes of ethics regarding political neutrality.
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This comes after US President Donald Trump admitted he personally intervened on behalf of Balogun and the tournament co-hosts.
Balogun, who plays for Monaco, received an automatic one-match ban after being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended the ban for a year, allowing him to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
Balogun Reacts to Controversy
Speaking about the situation, Balogun said his initial reaction was happiness to be back with the team.
But upon reflection, he knew it would cause controversy and noticed nerves among his teammates.
“The closer we got to the game I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult.
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A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid,” Balogun said.
The incident stemmed from a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, which Balogun strongly disputes. “I was in shock.
It wasn’t even a tackle,” he said, adding that the red card was unfair as the action was not intentional.
According to The Times, disciplinary committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali made the isolated decision to halt the ban without consulting other arbiters, deviating from FIFA protocols.
FIFA has not released an official explanation.
FairSquare's submission details five violations of political neutrality rules and two additional ethical breaches by Infantino, who joined the IOC in 2020.
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The push for accountability gained momentum after 50 European Parliament members signed a letter urging FIFA's ethics committee to resolve the complaint.
