FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing mounting political pressure after 72 members of the European Parliament called for a formal investigation into his conduct, following the controversial decision to suspend the red card ban handed to United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.
The MEPs have written directly to the heads of all 27 EU football associations, demanding an inquiry into the decision making process that allowed Balogun to avoid a one match suspension, after it emerged that US President Donald Trump had personally contacted Infantino to lobby on the player’s behalf. “In light of the decision taken on Sunday to suspend the implementation of an automatic one match suspension, we feel that it is time for European Football Associations, all of whom are member associations of FIFA, to intervene and ask that FIFA investigate the aforementioned decision making processes. FIFA’s statutory rules and code of ethics provide a very clear basis for member associations to intervene and demand an investigation,” the MEPs wrote.
The lawmakers have centred their challenge on FIFA’s own rules governing political neutrality, arguing they were breached by the episode. “The requirement of political neutrality is clearly outlined in both the FIFA Statutes and the Code of Ethics. Article 4(2) of the FIFA Statutes outlines the principle whereby FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion, and Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics states that all football officials must remain politically neutral, and provides for strong sanctions for violations,” the letter continued. “Member associations have an important role to play in ensuring that rules are upheld and that those who break them are held accountable. In that regard, we urge you to add your voice to recent calls in support of an investigation into Gianni Infantino’s links to President Trump from MEPs and from the Norwegian Football Federation. 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 remained defiant in the face of the criticism, insisting FIFA’s disciplinary processes operated independently of any outside contact. He confirmed he had spoken with Trump but maintained he had only explained the existing protocols rather than intervening on the tournament co-hosts’ behalf. “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. 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,” he said.
UEFA has also weighed in, issuing a sharply critical statement over the precedent set by the reprieve, despite Belgium going on to beat the United States 4-1 in the match itself. “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition. We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” the governing body said.
