Human rights organisation FairSquare has called for an investigation into U.S. President Donald Trump’s involvement in the decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban, arguing that the incident may have violated FIFA’s political neutrality rules and could increase pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Trump confirmed on Monday that he personally contacted Infantino after Balogun was sent off, a decision that would have ruled the striker out of the United States’ Round of 16 World Cup clash against Belgium.
However, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee later suspended the ban, allowing Balogun to feature in the match.
In response, Infantino maintained that he had no influence over the outcome, stating that FIFA’s disciplinary committee operates independently and that he was not involved in its decision.
FairSquare, which advocates for human rights in sport, says FIFA has become increasingly entangled with politics, a trend it believes has intensified since Infantino took office in 2016.
Speaking to Reuters, FairSquare director and co-founder Nicholas McGeehan said, “I don’t think there’s any question they’ve become far too politically aligned.”
He added, “I think that the politicisation, probably on account of how Trump carries on, has become most obviously blatantly problematic (in the U.S.). But I think this is a trend that has come into force since Infantino came to power, for sure.”
The organisation’s concerns have also received backing from 50 members of the European Parliament, who this month wrote to FIFA’s ethics committee in support of FairSquare’s complaint over Infantino’s perceived support for President Trump’s political agenda, including the awarding of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the U.S. leader.
McGeehan warned that further political involvement in football governance could have serious consequences for FIFA’s leadership.
“I think if we continue to see those types of political interventions, that’s going to put real pressure on Infantino,” he said.
He continued, “I think Infantino is a symptom of the problem. He’s a symptom of an organisation that has a rotten governance structure.
There’s a general understanding that it’s dysfunctional to the point where it can never be reformed. And I think the relationship with Trump is probably what catalysed that understanding.”
