July 24 (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected a complaint by human rights group FairSquare against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, saying the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of its Ethics Commission, an IOC spokesperson said on Friday.
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FairSquare said it would lodge a complaint over what it described as Infantino’s “repeated breach of political neutrality rules”, escalating a campaign that has already seen the organisation challenge FIFA’s ethics processes.
The group filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee last year, alleging that Infantino had on several occasions expressed his public support for the actions and policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The IOC Ethics Commission thoroughly analysed the complaint by FairSquare,” the IOC spokesperson said.
“The IOC Ethics Commission noted that the current complaint, including with regard to the FIFA President, refers only to the IF’s decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the IF’s implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC Code of Ethics.
“The complaint falls outside the IOC Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction. FairSquare has been informed accordingly,” the spokesperson added.
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Infantino, an IOC member since 2020, has faced scrutiny over a number of appearances alongside Trump, a key focus of FairSquare’s complaint.
During this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, Trump was involved in several controversial incidents.
Boos rang out around New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday as Trump and Infantino walked onto the field for the World Cup final trophy presentation ceremony.
Trump said that earlier in the tournament he had called Infantino to ask him to review a red card shown to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun in the last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun had been suspended for the last-16 game against Belgium but was allowed to play in the match which the U.S. lost 4-1.
The U.S. president was awarded FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize in December for his efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in some of the world’s major conflict hotspots.
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(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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