European Lawmakers Call for Probe into FIFA President

A group of European lawmakers has called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino over allegations of bias in international football, urging a formal review of several controversial decisions made during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
On Tuesday, the lawmakers sent a letter to the football associations of all 27 European Union member states, calling for coordinated action against what they described as FIFA's alleged partiality.
According to the lawmakers, an independent investigation is necessary to safeguard the transparency, impartiality and credibility of the World Cup. They specifically called for a neutral review of FIFA's decision-making process in the widely debated "Balogun case."
The controversy began last week after Balogun was shown a straight red card during a World Cup match. U.S. President Donald Trump later described the dismissal as "unfair." Shortly afterward, FIFA temporarily suspended Balogun's ban under a legal provision, a move that sparked widespread criticism.
Several international media outlets have also reported that Trump spoke by phone with Infantino regarding the matter and thanked him for "correcting a great injustice." FIFA has not officially commented on those reports.
European football governing body UEFA strongly criticized FIFA's decision, describing it as "unprecedented, unbelievable and completely unacceptable" in a statement.
The controversy comes amid a series of disputes during the 2026 FIFA World Cup involving refereeing decisions, match administration, alleged political influence and sponsor-related issues. European lawmakers have urged that all of these allegations be included in any independent investigation.

MMR