Rome, 15 July (LaPresse) – The rights group ‘FairSquare’ has lodged a complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The complaint alleges that Infantino has repeatedly breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by offering his political support to US President Donald Trump. Gianni Infantino was elected to the International Olympic Committee on 10 January 2020 and is required to adhere to strict rules of political neutrality, as enshrined in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, the complaint explains. Upon his admission to the IOC, Infantino swore an oath to “respect the Olympic Charter” and to “fully adhere to the IOC Code of Ethics”, and the IOC may expel members who fail to fulfil these obligations. As highlighted in FairSquare’s complaint, “there is irrefutable evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the President of the United States. The report also provides preliminary evidence of two further serious breaches, which it has asked the IOC to investigate. The first concerns possible acquiescence to political pressure from President Trump to circumvent FIFA’s disciplinary rules during the 2026 Men’s World Cup, in the so-called ‘Balogun’ case. The second concerns Infantino’s promotion of a FIFA fan website dedicated to the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which appears to have been part of a data-collection campaign conducted by entities linked to President Trump.”
2026 World Cup: FairSquare lodges complaint against Infantino with the IOC: “He has breached political neutrality”
Rome, 15 July (LaPresse) – The rights group ‘FairSquare’ has lodged a complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The complaint alleges that Infantino has repeatedly breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by offering his political support to US President Donald Trump. Gianni Infantino was elected to the International Olympic Committee on 10 January 2020 and is required to adhere to strict rules of political neutrality, as enshrined in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, the complaint explains. Upon his admission to the IOC, Infantino swore an oath to “respect the Olympic Charter” and to “fully adhere to the IOC Code of Ethics”, and the IOC may expel members who fail to fulfil these obligations. As highlighted in FairSquare’s complaint, “there is irrefutable evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of the IOC’s rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the President of the United States. The report also provides preliminary evidence of two further serious breaches, which it has asked the IOC to investigate. The first concerns possible acquiescence to political pressure from President Trump to circumvent FIFA’s disciplinary rules during the 2026 Men’s World Cup, in the so-called ‘Balogun’ case. The second concerns Infantino’s promotion of a FIFA fan website dedicated to the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which appears to have been part of a data-collection campaign conducted by entities linked to President Trump.”
