Gianni Infantino: IOC won’t investigate FIFA president’s allegations ‘beyond its scope’

The International Olympic Committee has said it will not investigate Gianni Infantino because allegations against the FIFA president are outside its scope.

Human rights campaign group Fairsquare complained to the IOC that Infantino had breached its charter by failing to adhere to political neutrality rules “through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US president”.

US President Donald Trump admitted it during the World Cup He called Infantino He was asked to review the red card given to US striker Folarin Balogun.

The forward was expected to miss his side’s last-16 tie against Belgium after being sent off during the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.

But, the one-match ban was suspended for 12 months following Trump’s intervention. No reason was given except to cite a rule allowing suspension of sentence.

Balogun started the match, which Belgium won 4–1.

Infantino has been a member of the IOC since 2020.

Article two of the Olympic Charter states: “Members of the IOC shall not accept orders or instructions from governments, organizations or other parties liable to interfere with their freedom of action and vote.”

The IOC said the allegation against Infantino fell outside the jurisdiction of its ethics commission.

“The present complaint, concerning the FIFA president, refers only to decisions regarding the governance and management of the international federation, including its relationship with the government, and the implementation of the international federation’s sporting rules, both of which are outside the scope of application of the IOC Code of Ethics.”

The IOC statement came a day after the publication The Norwegian Football Federation was considering filing a formal complaint To FIFA’s Ethics Committee regarding the decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban.

In a statement to the BBC, NFF president Lis Clavennes said the federation reacted “with strong concern” and that a decision on whether to press charges would be made at its next board meeting.

The federation has already filed a complaint against FIFA awarding the first peace prize to Trump.

FIFA has been contacted for comment.