Overview
- London-based FairSquare announced it will submit a formal ethics complaint to the IOC alleging repeated breaches of political neutrality by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
- FairSquare’s action builds on a December complaint to FIFA’s own ethics commission that the group says has produced no public sign of an investigation, and the Norwegian Football Federation joined FairSquare’s challenge in June.
- Reporting has highlighted two episodes that underpin the complaint: Infantino’s public closeness to President Trump, including praise of Trump’s policies, and a reported phone call from Trump to Infantino before FIFA lifted the suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun.
- IOC president Kirsty Coventry has said she is not aware that the IOC ethics commission has received a complaint about the reported Trump-Infantino call, and the IOC website notes anyone may submit information about suspected breaches.
- The case will test how Olympic and football ethics bodies enforce rules that require officials to act independently of political interests and could increase pressure for governance reform at FIFA if the complaint leads to a formal probe or public findings.