FIFA’s decision on Folarin Balogun’s red card may bring more trouble for its chief, Gianni Infantino. The governing body’s decision to suspend Balogun’s mandated one-game ban ruffled more than a few feathers, and US President Donald Trump taking credit made it worse. As per the latest reports, a human rights group will file a complaint with the International Olympic Committee against Infantino for a possible breach of political neutrality.

“FIFA’s Gianni Infantino to face ethics complaint over Trump involvement in USMNT’s Folarin Balogun red card controversy,” New York Post Sports reported.

The drama unfolded after Balogun was shown a red card during the USMNT’s round of 32 clash against Bosnia & Herzegovina. As he was their leading scorer with three goals, the team could not afford to lose him for the round of 16 game against Belgium. According to FIFA’s rulebook, that would have been the case, as an appeal cannot be made against a mandated one-game suspension for a red card. That’s where Trump stepped in with a call to the FIFA President.

Trump later confirmed the call during an event in the Oval Office. He shared his view on the incident as well, with an argument that sidelining a top player would leave a “big stain” on the tournament.

“I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” said Trump. “I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”

Following the phone call, FIFA’s disciplinary committee made an unprecedented mid-tournament decision. They invoked Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code to suspend Balogun’s one-match ban for a one-year probationary period, immediately reinstating his eligibility to play.

This wasn’t the first time FIFA used that particular section, with Cristiano Ronaldo being a beneficiary of it during the World Cup qualification campaign. The Portuguese superstar received his first international red card in a 2-0 loss to the Republic of Ireland. As it was for violent conduct, he was to serve a three-match ban that would see him miss the opening two games of the World Cup against DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

He did serve one match, but the other two were suspended. What’s different between the two cases was that there was no external intervention at a presidential level for CR7. The decision regarding the USMNT player stunned rival teams.

Belgium was left concerned by the decision, as they were not able to use the same provision for Nathan Ngoy’s red card and suspension earlier in the tournament. The likes of Sepp Blatter and UEFA also commented on Balogun’s red card ban being suspended.

“Regardless of the sporting outcome of this match, the RBFA is deeply concerned by the course of events. We will continue to fight in the coming hours, days, and months in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football,” the Royal Belgian Football Association said.

However, that’s not all, with even more bodies hitting out at the decision. For the London-based sports and human rights NGO FairSquare, this was enough evidence to go against the FIFA President.

“FairSquare will file a complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s repeated breach of political neutrality rules,” the group had said in a statement.

“If Mr Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be ​considered an egregious abuse of power,” FairSquare added.

This isn’t the first time FairSquare has paid attention to Infantino. Last December, just days after Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, the group put forward a complaint to the FIFA ethics committee “regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s repeated breaches of the duty of neutrality outlined in article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.”

And that’s not all.

The FIFA President may face another challenge from European lawmakers. Reportedly, European lawmakers are making a case to launch an investigation against Infantino regarding Balogun’s red card controversy. Lawmakers Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters, and Niels Fuglsang are at the forefront of this battle.

FIFA’s decision to “change the rule on red card suspensions mid-tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice,” their joint statement said.

Infantino’s earlier ties with the US President may also complicate things further. Reportedly, both have had ties since 2018, when the US, Canada, and Mexico won the bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

Infantino was also seen at Trump’s 2025 inauguration. Later that year, he pitched for him, saying, “We should all support” the president’s work as it was “pretty good.”

The USMNT is now out of the tournament following their 4-1 defeat to Belgium at Seattle Stadium. But what has erupted from their last two knockout games could pose the biggest challenge the FIFA President may face in his tenure.