EU lawmakers seek scrutiny of Infantino after Balogun ban lifted
European Parliament members say FIFA should examine whether political pressure influenced the decision to let Folarin Balogun play after a red card.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
European Parliament lawmakers are trying to build support for scrutiny of FIFA president Gianni Infantino after U.S. striker Folarin Balogun was allowed to play despite receiving a red card, The Associated Press reported. The move matters because the lawmakers say the case raises questions about political influence over football discipline.
According to AP, Balogun was sent off during the United States’ July 1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. A red card would normally keep a player out of the next match, but FIFA lifted Balogun’s one-game suspension on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened with Infantino on the 25-year-old forward’s behalf, AP reported.
European Parliament members Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters and Niels Fuglsang said in a joint statement that FIFA’s action amounted to changing red-card discipline during a tournament. They called the decision “a disgrace and a perversion of justice,” according to AP.
The three lawmakers also said FIFA and Infantino had yielded to requests from the Trump administration, AP reported. Their statement accused FIFA’s leadership of allowing politics to intrude into a disciplinary matter that they said should be governed by impartial rules.
The lawmakers are asking national football associations in European Union countries to push the FIFA Ethics Committee to review Infantino’s conduct, according to AP. They want the committee to examine whether pressure from the Trump administration played a role in lifting Balogun’s suspension.
AP reported that the lawmakers also want the ethics review to consider possible breaches of FIFA’s political neutrality. They cited the awarding of a FIFA Peace Prize to Trump as another matter they believe should be examined.
FIFA has said the decision to lift Balogun’s ban was made by a disciplinary committee, according to AP. The report did not include further detail from FIFA on the committee’s reasoning.
The lawmakers said 35 colleagues had signed the letter so far, AP reported. Their effort seeks to enlist football associations rather than act only through the European Parliament, because FIFA’s internal ethics process would be the body positioned to examine Infantino under the route they described.
In their statement, the lawmakers said sport depends on rules that are applied fairly and openly, according to AP. They argued that if political pressure decides who is eligible to play, confidence in that fairness is damaged.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.