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European lawmakers are calling for an investigation into Gianni Infantino's relationship with President Trump
Despite the fact that the United States men’s national team was knocked out of the 2026 World Cup, the fallout from FIFA’s decision to lift Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension continues. Lawmakers in Europe are now seeking to investigate FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Dozens of European lawmakers are gathering signatures to launch a formal investigation into FIFA boss Gianni Infantino over his role in the decision to allow Folarian Balogun to play against Belgium despite an automatic one-match red card ban.
After FIFA suspended Balogun’s one-match red card ban, it was reported that US President Trump reached out to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino directly to discuss the situation, in addition to other politicians and lawyers being involved behind the scenes.
When announcing its ruling on Balogun, FIFA cited Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which gives the organization the power to “suspend the enforcement of a previously imposed disciplinary sanction.”
More than 70 European lawmakers are seeking to investigate Gianni Infantino’s relationship with President Trump
Less than a week after the controversial decision, more than 70 European Parliament lawmakers are pushing for a formal investigation into Infantino over his involvement in lifting Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension following reported contact with President Trump.
The letter, led by European Parliament members Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters, and Niels Fuglsang, calls on the national football associations of EU countries to urge FIFA’s Ethics Committee to investigate Infantino.
The lawmakers are specifically interested in whether pressure from the Trump administration was a factor in the decision, and whether other potential breaches of political neutrality occurred, including the awarding of the FIFA Peace Prize to President Trump.
“Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and FIFA surrender to the demands of the Trump administration. The beauty of sport is that it is based on impartial and transparent rules. When Infantino allows political pressure to determine who gets to play, this sense of fairness goes out the window,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
FairSquare, a campaign group that has been working with some of the lawmakers on the inquiries, is also expected to file a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its founder Nicholas McGeehan, however, told The Telegraph that FIFA’s issues extend far beyond its controversial president.
“Infantino is clearly unfit to govern FIFA and a challenge to his presidency is absolutely necessary,” McGeehan said.
“But this has to go beyond simply an ouster of Infantino. If the system that propelled Infantino into power in 2016 isn’t seriously reformed, we will not fix these problems.”
Despite having Balogun in its starting lineup, the USMNT were thoroughly outclassed by Belgium in its 4-1 Round of 16 defeat.