IOC says Infantino complaint outside its scope

The International Olympic Committee says it will not investigate Gianni Infantino as a complaint about the FIFA president is outside its scope. Human rights campaign group FairSquare complained to the IOC that Infantino had breached its charter by failing to adhere to rules on political neutrality “through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US president”. US President Donald Trump admitted during the World Cup that he had called Infantino to ask him to review a 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 their 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. But after the intervention from Trump, the one-match ban was suspended for 12 months. No reason was given, beyond citing a rule that allows punishments to be suspended. Balogun started the match, which Belgium won 4-1. Infantino has been a member of the IOC since 2020. Section two of the Olympic Charter states: “Members of the IOC will not accept from governments, organisations, or other parties, any mandate or instructions liable to interfere with the freedom of their action and vote.” The IOC said the complaint against Infantino fell outside the jurisdiction of its ethics commission. “The current complaint, with regard to the FIFA president, refers only to the international federation’s decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the international federation’s implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC code of ethics,” it said. The IOC statement came a day after it emerged the Norwegian Football Federation was considering filing a formal complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee about the decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban. In a statement provided to the BBC, NFF president Lise Klaveness said the federation had reacted with “strong concern” and that a decision on whether to file a complaint would be made at its next board meeting. The federation has already filed a complaint about Fifa’s first Peace Prize being awarded to Trump. FIFA has been contacted for comment.