IOC rules Trump-related complaint against Infantino is outside its remit

The International Olympic Committee’s ethics body has declined to investigate a human rights group’s complaint against Fifa president Gianni Infantino over his alleged support for Donald Trump, ruling the case lies beyond its jurisdiction.

FairSquare, a human rights organisation, had asked the IOC ethics commission to examine what it calls Infantino’s “repeated breach of political neutrality rules”, arguing that his conduct showed improper backing for the actions and policies of the US president.

An IOC spokesperson said on Friday that the ethics commission had carried out a full review of the submission but concluded it could not intervene because the issues raised related solely to Fifa’s own decision-making and internal governance.

“The IOC ethics commission thoroughly analysed the complaint by FairSquare,” the spokesperson said.

“The IOC ethics commission noted that the current complaint, including with regard to the Fifa president, refers only to the IF’s [international federation] decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the IF’s implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC code of ethics.

“The complaint falls outside the IOC ethics commission’s jurisdiction. FairSquare has been informed accordingly,” the spokesperson added.

Focus on political neutrality

FairSquare has been campaigning for more than a year over Infantino’s relationship with Trump and Fifa’s handling of ethics matters. The group lodged an earlier complaint with Fifa’s own ethics committee last year, accusing Infantino of “repeated breach of political neutrality rules” and claiming he had, on several occasions, publicly endorsed Trump’s actions and policies while in office.

Infantino, who became an IOC member in 2020, has come under scrutiny for a series of public appearances alongside Trump, which form a central part of FairSquare’s submissions to both bodies.

World Cup incidents under spotlight

Events at this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, have intensified attention on the relationship between the two men.

At the tournament’s climax, loud boos were heard around New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday when Trump and Infantino walked onto the pitch together for the World Cup final trophy presentation.

Trump also revealed he had personally intervened in a disciplinary matter earlier in the competition, saying that he telephoned Infantino to ask him to reconsider a red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun in the last-32 tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balogun had initially been suspended for the USA’s last-16 match against Belgium as a result of that dismissal, but the ban was overturned and he was cleared to play in a game the United States went on to lose 4-1.

Fifa award for Trump

Trump’s role at the tournament followed recognition from world football’s governing body at the end of last year.

In December, the US president was presented with Fifa’s first-ever “peace prize”, an award created to acknowledge what Fifa described as his efforts to encourage dialogue and reduce tensions in several major global conflict zones.

The IOC’s decision leaves FairSquare’s campaign centred on Fifa’s own ethics structures, with football’s governing body yet to publicly detail any outcome to the complaint it received from the organisation last year.