EU lawmakers call for probe of FIFA boss over Trump contact before US-Belgium match
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- European Parliament lawmakers are seeking to investigate FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his role in allowing U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play despite a prior red card suspension.
- Balogun received a red card on July 1, which would normally have made him ineligible for the next match, but FIFA lifted the suspension after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened with Infantino.
- Lawmakers accuse FIFA and Infantino of yielding to political pressure from the Trump administration, calling the mid-tournament rule change a "disgrace" and a "perversion of justice."
- The investigation request urges EU national football associations to prompt the FIFA Ethics Committee to examine whether Infantino breached political neutrality, including awarding Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.
- FIFA maintains that the decision to lift Balogun’s suspension was made by a disciplinary committee, not directly by Infantino.
