Norway Mulls FIFA Complaint Over Trump: List of World Cup Challenges
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Norway is considering filing a formal complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee over President Donald Trump's role in the controversial overturning of a World Cup suspension, the latest in a series of legal, governance and ethics challenges that have confronted FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, during the 2026 tournament.
Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) President Lise Klaveness said she will seek support from her board to pursue an ethics complaint after FIFA allowed U.S. striker Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium despite receiving a red card in the previous round, a decision that came after Trump publicly said he had contacted Infantino to review the suspension.
The proposed complaint would add to a growing list of disputes facing FIFA during a World Cup that has seen ethics complaints, political scrutiny, a campaign for governance reform and court action over ticket sales.
Newsweek reached out to FIFA via email for comment.
Klaveness told Newsweek that UEFA and the NFF reacted with “deep concern” when FIFA overturned the suspension of Balogun during the World Cup.
“The NFF intends to follow up on this matter now that the tournament has concluded, and we will decide on our course of action at the next board meeting,” she said. “One option being considered is including the Balogun case, and the submission we made to FIFA’s Ethics Committee prior to the World Cup regarding FIFA’s so-called peace prize presentation during the World Cup draw in Washington last December. We will provide an update following the board meeting.”
The controversy erupted after Balogun's automatic one-match suspension was deferred, allowing him to play in the United States' round-of-16 match against Belgium. Trump later took credit for intervening and described the original red card decision as a "horrible" call.
The most significant ongoing challenge to Infantino's leadership may be an ethics complaint filed by the advocacy group FairSquare with FIFA's Ethics Committee in December 2025. The complaint alleges that Infantino repeatedly breached FIFA rules requiring political neutrality.
FairSquare's filing focused on several instances in which Infantino publicly aligned himself with Trump, including the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to the U.S. president during the World Cup draw in Washington.
The organization said the case was about more than a single political relationship.
"This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino's support for President Donald Trump's political agenda," FairSquare program director Nicholas McGeehan said when the complaint was announced.
The complaint has since gained support from Norway's football federation and more than 50 Members of the European Parliament, who urged FIFA to address the allegations and demonstrate its commitment to political neutrality and accountability.
Ahead of the World Cup, FairSquare launched the "Reboot FIFA" campaign with the aim of gathering public support for what organizers described as the largest complaint ever submitted to FIFA.
The campaign sought signatures from fans concerned about FIFA's governance, transparency and accountability, and pledged to submit an expanded version of the existing ethics complaint after the World Cup.
According to campaign organizers, the effort was intended both to pressure FIFA's Ethics Committee and to build support among governments, football associations and sponsors for broader governance reforms.
FairSquare said it hoped the initiative would become "the largest single complaint FIFA will ever have received about the conduct of its senior officials."
Newsweek reached out to FairSquare via email for comment.
This month, FairSquare escalated its campaign by filing a separate complaint with the International Olympic Committee, alleging that Infantino had also breached IOC rules on political neutrality.
Because Infantino has been a member of the IOC since 2020, the complaint seeks scrutiny from outside football's governing structures. The filing specifically references Infantino's relationship with Trump and cites the Balogun affair as potential evidence of political interference in sporting matters.
FairSquare said the IOC complaint raises questions about whether political pressure influenced FIFA's disciplinary decisions and whether Infantino's conduct complied with Olympic rules governing neutrality.
FIFA has also faced a legal challenge in Europe over its World Cup ticketing operation. Earlier this month, a regional court in Frankfurt granted an injunction sought by German ticket resale platform Ticombo, ordering FIFA to provide greater transparency in its secondary ticket market.
The court ordered FIFA to stop facilitating certain ticket sales in Germany without disclosing the identity and address of commercial sellers before purchases are completed. The case centered on concerns over transparency and consumer information.
“We take consumer protection and transparency very seriously and believe that all players must abide by the same rules,” Marçal Gutiérrez, legal counsel for Ticombo, previously told Newsweek. “This is why we took action.”
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