72 EU Lawmakers Urge FIFA Probe Over Balogun Ban Reversal as Trump Ties Roil Infantino
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
72 EU Lawmakers Urge FIFA Probe Over Balogun Ban Reversal as Trump Ties Roil Infantino
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Summary
Seventy-two MEPs asked the 27 EU football association heads to press FIFA to investigate how Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban was suspended before the U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium.
The demand centers on political neutrality after Donald Trump said he called Gianni Infantino to seek a review, while FIFA rejected Belgium’s pre-match appeal and let Balogun start.
Infantino said FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent and that he told Trump an ongoing legal process would be decided by the competent bodies under FIFA rules.
Pressure is widening: UEFA called the reversal “incomprehensible” and said it crossed a red line, while FairSquare plans an IOC complaint over Infantino’s repeated neutrality breaches.
The new letter builds on a June 29 push by 50 MEPs over Infantino’s FIFA Peace Prize for Trump, deepening scrutiny of his relationship with the U.S. president.