A claim circulating widely states that the European Parliament has called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his management of the organisation. The posts emerged amid growing criticism of FIFA’s handling of the controversial reversal of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic suspension during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged contacting Infantino before the decision. However, the claim overstates what actually happened. Although dozens of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have publicly called for further scrutiny of Infantino, the European Parliament itself has not adopted any official position, passed a resolution, or opened an investigation.
Social Media Posts
The viral posts generally claim that “the European Parliament has called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino.” The claim spread shortly after several international media outlets reported that European lawmakers were seeking greater scrutiny of Infantino’s role in FIFA’s decision-making following the Balogun controversy.
Fact Check
The initiative came from MEPs, not the European Parliament
The central problem with the viral claim is that it conflates Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) with the European Parliament as an institution. According to reporting by Euronews , a group of lawmakers led by several MEPs circulated a letter calling for FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee to examine whether political pressure influenced the governing body’s handling of Folarin Balogun’s suspension. The letter was ultimately signed by 72 Members of the European Parliament. However, Euronews notes that the European Parliament itself never voted on the proposal, never adopted it as an official parliamentary position, and never launched an institutional investigation.
France 24 reached the same conclusion, explaining that while individual MEPs publicly supported an investigation, the European Parliament as a legislative institution did not. The distinction is significant because MEPs regularly issue letters, political statements and public appeals that do not automatically become official actions of Parliament.
What triggered the controversy?
The controversy stems from events during the 2026 FIFA World Cup involving United States forward Folarin Balogun.
Balogun received a straight red card that ordinarily carried an automatic one-match suspension under FIFA’s disciplinary rules. Shortly afterwards, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that he had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding the incident. FIFA’s disciplinary authorities subsequently lifted Balogun’s suspension, allowing him to play in the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium.
The decision prompted criticism from football officials, governance experts and European lawmakers, who questioned whether political considerations had influenced what is ordinarily an independent disciplinary process. Reuters later reported that FairSquare, a sports governance advocacy organisation, later filed complaints alleging potential breaches of FIFA’s political neutrality rules, while European lawmakers expressed similar concerns.
What did the lawmakers actually request?
Rather than asking the European Parliament to investigate FIFA, the lawmakers directed their appeal toward football’s own governance mechanisms.
The letter urged European national football associations to press FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee to determine whether Gianni Infantino breached FIFA’s ethical obligations, including its principles of political neutrality, and whether political pressure played any role in overturning Balogun’s suspension. According to the Associated Press, the lawmakers argued that maintaining confidence in football governance required an independent review by FIFA’s own ethics structures rather than intervention from political institutions.
The letter therefore represents a political appeal from elected lawmakers, not an official parliamentary decision. That distinction fundamentally changes the meaning of the viral claim, which incorrectly suggests that the European Parliament itself initiated proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
FIFA Says Its Independent Bodies Made the Decision
FIFA has maintained that the decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension was not made personally by Gianni Infantino but by its independent disciplinary structures. The organization stated that its Disciplinary Committee was responsible for the decision under FIFA’s judicial framework, rejecting suggestions that political leaders directly determined the outcome. The Associated Press reported that FIFA reiterated the suspension was lifted by its disciplinary committee, not by the FIFA president.
To date, no publicly available evidence has demonstrated that Infantino personally instructed FIFA’s disciplinary committee to reverse the suspension. Consequently, the lawmakers requested an ethics review to determine whether FIFA’s own governance standards had been respected.
Gianni Infantino Has Faced Previous Governance Controversies
This is not the first time Gianni Infantino has faced scrutiny over FIFA’s governance. Since becoming FIFA president in 2016, he has been involved in several high-profile controversies, including ethics proceedings over his conduct, criminal proceedings in Switzerland concerning undisclosed meetings with former Attorney General Michael Lauber that were later closed without charges, and criticism over FIFA’s handling of human rights issues surrounding the 2022 Qatar World Cup. These issues are separate from the current viral claim, which concerns whether the European Parliament officially called for an investigation into Infantino. (Source)
Conclusion
The claim that the European Parliament has called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino is misleading. It is accurate that dozens of Members of the European Parliament urged FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee to examine whether political pressure influenced the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension. However, those lawmakers were acting independently, and their letter does not represent an official decision of the European Parliament.
At the time of writing, the European Parliament has neither adopted a resolution nor opened a formal investigation into Gianni Infantino or FIFA. The claim therefore misrepresents both who initiated the request and what action has actually been taken.
Title: The European Parliament Has Not Officially Called for an Investigation Into FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Fact Check By: Pranpreeya
Result: Misleading
