As the world woke up to the morning of the World Cup final, FIFA found itself facing a storm it could not ignore. Fresh claims from the Council of Europe questioned the governing body’s handling of the tournament, raising concerns over both its integrity and the competition itself. The backlash has spread beyond Europe. It is now echoing across the United States, placing Gianni Infantino and FIFA under intense scrutiny at the sport’s biggest moment.

Nathan Goldberg Crenier, the vice president of US Soccer, published an open letter that took direct aim at Gianni Infantino. He also challenged FIFA’s decision to lift Folarin Balogun’s suspension, arguing that the move further fueled concerns over the tournament’s governance. Meanwhile, Colombian soccer star Sebastian Salazar publicly supported the VP’s claims.

“The VP of U.S. Soccer publicly calling out Gianni Infantino for ‘betraying’ FIFA’s values is noteworthy,” Salazar tweeted. “So is the corresponding silence from the USSF President, CEO, COO, and Board of Directors.”

US Soccer was among the biggest beneficiaries of Gianni Infantino’s decision to clear Folarin Balogun for the Round of 16 clash against Belgium. Even so, the USMNT suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat. For Crenier, the result was beside the point. He believes the issue goes far beyond one match and raises serious questions about ethics and accountability.

The VP spewed out his disconnect over Infantino and the organization in a piece for The Guardian.

“For years now, Infantino has betrayed those values by aligning FIFA, the organization that represents the people’s game, with Trump, whose political project is openly rooted in division, selfishness, and violence,” he wrote.

Crenier further added, “Because Infantino’s actions harm soccer in a way I cannot condone, and especially because he’s doing so by inserting himself in my own country’s domestic politics, I feel compelled to denounce them publicly.”

Since the World Cup’s inception, governments have repeatedly used the tournament to advance national agendas. Crenier argues that this edition marks a troubling shift. According to him, “it’s the FIFA president himself who is willingly damaging the sport’s reputation.” He pointed to the Balogun decision as a prime example of why he holds that view.

Forty-eight hours before the USMNT’s matchup against Belgium, FIFA suspended Folarin Balogun’s red card ban. The 25‑year‑old was shown a straight red card for serious foul play against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, a decision that would ordinarily have ruled him out of the last‑16 tie against Belgium before FIFA chose to suspend his ban. Following the decision, many voices around the soccer world questioned Gianni Infantino.

Crenier also claimed the 56-year-old FIFA president “allowing his personal relationship with Trump to muddle the outcome” of the decision. For that reason, he believes Infantino must be held accountable.

Well, this wouldn’t be the first and last time someone has called for an investigation into the FIFA boss’s conduct. Crenier argued that building a productive relationship with a host nation’s government is part of the job. In his view, however, Gianni Infantino has gone far beyond that. He has repeatedly blurred the line between diplomacy and deference.