Infantino has long wooed rump

[struggle4progress]

1. Soccer-Balogun red card storm could be "fatal misstep" for Infantino

By Thomson Reuters
Jul 6, 2026 | 1:43 PM
By Iain Axon

July 6 (Reuters) – Human rights group FairSquare says U.S. President Donald Trump’s intervention over Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban should be investigated as a breach of FIFA’s rules on political neutrality and could mark the beginning of the end of Gianni Infantino’s presidency ...

Infantino, who has run the global governing body since 2016, said in a statement that the disciplinary body was independent and he had no involvement in the decision that freed Balogun to play in the match later on Monday.

FairSquare, a non-profit ‌organisation ​specialising in sports and human rights, believes FIFA’s increasing political alignment has ⁠been an issue going back to ⁠the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“I don’t think there’s any question they’ve become far too politically aligned,” Nicholas McGeehan, director and co-founder of FairSquare, told Reuters ...

https://whtc.com/2026/07/06/soccer-balogun-red-card-storm-could-be-fatal-misstep-for-fifas-infantino-says-rights-group/