Infantino faces EU probe over Balogun saga

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a political storm after 72 European lawmakers called for a formal investigation into his conduct, following the controversial decision to suspend United States striker Folarin Balogun’s ban during the World Cup after direct intervention from the White House.

The 72 members of the European Parliament have written to the heads of the 27 European Union football associations, demanding an immediate investigation into the decision-making process that allowed Balogun to escape a red card suspension.

The move followed revelations that United States President Donald Trump personally contacted Infantino to lobby on the player’s behalf.

The lawmakers stated that European football associations, as FIFA member associations, should intervene and demand an investigation, citing FIFA’s statutory rules and code of ethics as a clear basis for such action.

The MEPs anchored their case on FIFA’s rules regarding political neutrality, referencing Article 4(2) of the FIFA Statutes, which states that FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion, and Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, which requires football officials to remain politically neutral and provides for sanctions for violations. They also urged support for calls from the Norwegian Football Federation for scrutiny of the decision-making process around the Balogun case specifically.

Infantino, however, has remained defiant, insisting FIFA’s judicial bodies operate independently and that he merely explained existing protocols to Trump rather than bypassing them. He said FIFA’s judicial bodies operate autonomously and apply the Disciplinary Code based on the applicable regulations, and that during his conversation with Trump, he explained that an ongoing legal process was underway and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies.

UEFA has also weighed into the debate, issuing a strongly worded statement despite Belgium’s four-one victory over the United States on the pitch. European football’s governing body said that when the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by those meant to protect them, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of the competition is undermined, adding that the decision sets a precedent requiring equal treatment for similar situations for the remainder of the tournament, and expressed disbelief at what it called an unprecedented and unjustifiable decision.