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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ruled out investigating FIFA president Gianni Infantino over allegations that US President Donald Trump influenced the lifting of a World Cup suspension imposed on footballer Folarin Balogun.
The decision follows a complaint filed earlier this month by London-based rights group FairSquare, which urged the IOC Ethics Commission to examine whether Infantino breached the Olympic movement’s principle of political neutrality.
FairSquare alleged that Infantino played a role in ensuring Balogun was not made to serve an automatic one-match suspension after receiving a red card in the United States’ previous World Cup fixture.
However, the IOC said on Friday that the complaint falls outside the jurisdiction of its Ethics Commission because it concerns FIFA’s internal governance and management rather than its relationship with the Olympic body.
In a statement, the IOC said the complaint “refers only to (FIFA’s) decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to (FIFA’s) implementation of the rules of its sport.”
“Consequently, the complaint falls outside the IOC Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction,” it added.
Under the Olympic Charter, political neutrality is listed among the fundamental principles of Olympism and applies to the IOC as well as recognised international sports federations, including FIFA. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.
The IOC also clarified that its Ethics Commission cannot independently launch investigations or impose sanctions on members. Instead, it can only make recommendations to the IOC Executive Board, which is chaired by IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
Coventry attended last Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The IOC has rarely taken disciplinary action against its members in recent years. The last major ethics case involved Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the influential Kuwaiti sports administrator who was sanctioned over misconduct allegations after years of wielding significant influence within the Olympic movement.
