EU members want Gianni Infantino to be investigated after controversial Folarin Balogun decision

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a potential investigation after 72 European lawmakers have asked for an inquiry into his role in suspending United States footballer Folarin Balogun’s ban.

The player was given a red card in USA's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina which was overturned ahead of their Round of 16 clash against Belgium after the White House intervened.

Gianni Infantino under scrutiny after Folarin Balogun’s red card reversal

Reports have suggested that 72 members of the European Parliament have made an official appeal to the heads of the 27 EU football associations, asking for an urgent investigation into the order of events that led to US footballer Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban being suspended.

Ahead of the USA-Belgium Round of 16 match in the FIFA World Cup 2026, it was revealed that US President Donald Trump made a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino asking for Folarin's pardon. Briefly after the conversation, FIFA announced that the player will not miss the next match and can serve the red card ban later. The administrative body maintained that the decision was not influenced by the US President's intervention.

What were the demands in the official letter?

The official letter of the members of the European Parliament read, "In light of the decision taken on Sunday to suspend the implementation of an automatic one-match suspension, we feel that it is time for European Football Associations, all of whom are member associations of FIFA, to intervene and ask that FIFA investigate the aforementioned decision-making processes. FIFA’s statutory rules and code of ethics provide a very clear basis for member associations to intervene and demand an investigation."

"In that regard, we urge you to add your voice to recent calls in support of an investigation into Gianni Infantino’s links to President Trump from MEPs and from the Norwegian Football Federation. Any investigation must now include scrutiny of the decision-making process surrounding FIFA’s decision to rescind the ban imposed on a member of the US men’s national team", the letter added.

The FIFA President has also come out with a defence saying, "FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. During our conversation (with President Trump), I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies."

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