FIFA’s Rules on Political Interference and Why the USA Must be Disqualified & Infantino stripped of the Presidency

FIFA’s rules on political interference are clear; the USA has broken them, and the only way to restore integrity is for Infantino to be stripped of the Presidency and the USA stripped of their place

FIFA’s core statutes explicitly forbid any form of political or governmental interference in the affairs of its member associations. The USA, through President Donald Trump’s direct lobbying of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, has violated that core principle. FIFA’s sudden intervention to reverse Balogun’s ban - and to undo Cristiano Ronaldo’s violent conduct sanction for Portugal prior to the competition kicking off - is not only inconsistent with its own rules but also exposes a grotesque double standard. The appropriate response is not to applaud this “political fix” but to demand that the USA be suspended from the competition, that Infantino face a criminal and disciplinary investigation, and that football associations worldwide block his re-election and call for a vote of no confidence to remove him as FIFA President with immediate effect.

The Third-Party Non-Interference Principle

FIFA’s statutes are built on the idea that football must be governed by football people, not politicians. Article 2(2) states that “government interference of any kind in the electoral process or composition of the elective body (general assembly or congress) of the association is not permitted” and that “government rules on elections shall not apply to the elected internal bodies of the association”. Article 15(c) goes further, requiring that member associations’ statutes “shall in particular contain, at a minimum, make provisions relating to the independence of the member association and avoidance of any form of political interference”.

These rules are not abstract. FIFA has repeatedly suspended national federations when governments or courts have tried to take control of their affairs. The All-India Football Federation was suspended in 2022 after the Supreme Court of India ordered the federation’s president to step down and a Committee of Administrators to take over. Zimbabwe was suspended in 2022 after its government-appointed Sports and Recreation Commission suspended the national football executive committee. Kenya, Chad, Pakistan and Nigeria have all faced similar suspensions when state authorities or courts intervened in football governance. And Nepal were suspended this year for third party interference in it’s Football Association.

Yet the principle is not limited to elections. It is about the independence of football associations as bodies, not just their personnel. Any external pressure from a minister, a court, or a head of state that seeks to dictate disciplinary outcomes, selection decisions, or operational matters is a breach of this principle. The USA’s case is not subtle, President Trump lobbied someone at FIFA directly - be it Infantino or one of his cronies - to urge Balogun’s red card be overturned, with his administration supplying additional evidence to support an appeal that was never formally lodged by the US Soccer Federation - in fact, according to FIFA rules during this World Cup, the red card couldn’t be appealed.

Trump’s Lobbying and the Balogun Red Card

The facts are clear. President Trump called Infantino/FIFA to ask for a review of Balogun’s red card and one-match suspension ahead of the USA’s last 16 World Cup match against Belgium. The US administration also provided a three-page memo from attorneys tied to Trump to the US Soccer Federation, suggesting that FIFA’s rules were vague enough to create grounds for an appeal. No formal appeal was submitted by the federation, but FIFA reversed the suspension on 5 July, allowing Balogun to play against Belgium.

This is not a normal disciplinary review. It is a direct intervention by a head of state and his administration into a sporting disciplinary decision, at the request of a national team that is competing in the World Cup. The New York Times, which first reported the call, described attorneys with ties to Trump providing legal arguments to support an appeal. FIFA’s own disciplinary rules only allow for an appeal if games are added to the initial suspension, meaning there was no formal legal basis for the reversal.

FIFA’s response was to cite its disciplinary rules and avoid mentioning Trump at all. That silence is telling. It is an attempt to normalise something that should be scandalous. A president of a World Cup-hosting nation lobbying the president of FIFA to change a disciplinary outcome in a match that directly affects his country’s chances is not “supporting the game”. It is bending FIFA to political power.

Croatia, Ronaldo, and the Double Standard

The Balogun case is not the first time FIFA has intervened in tournament disciplinary matters under political pressure. Cristiano Ronaldo received a three-match ban after he was sent off for violent conduct in Portugal’s qualifier against Ireland, which would have ruled him out of the first two group matches. FIFA later reversed that decision, allowing Ronaldo to play. That reversal came after considerable public and political pressure from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Portugal themselves.

But the contrast with how FIFA has treated other nations is stark. In the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, the US administration prevented a section of the Iranian team from getting visas, they blocked a Somali FIFA referee from entering the country, and denied visas to fans from Muslim or other third world countries. Those actions were blatantly political and violated the spirit of the tournament, yet FIFA did not call for Trump to overturn the bans, they didn’t issue a formal condemnation, or intervene in any meaningful way. Instead, FIFA bent the knee.

Only now, when the USA itself is the beneficiary of political interference, does FIFA suddenly rediscover its ability to act. That is not neutrality. That is opportunism and corruption. It shows that FIFA’s rules on political interference are not applied equally but are tools that can be invoked when convenient and ignored when inconvenient.

Why the USA Should Be Suspended

If FIFA is serious about its own statutes, the USA must be suspended from the competition. The third-party non-interference principle is not a suggestion; it is a binding rule. Article 15(c) and 2(2) make it clear that political interference is a breach of FIFA’s core values. When a head of state of a World Cup-hosting nation directly intervenes in a disciplinary decision, that is interference.

The consequences of such interference are not just symbolic. They undermine the integrity of the entire tournament. If one nation can use political power to overturn disciplinary sanctions, then every sanction becomes negotiable based on political clout. That destroys the rule of law in football and turns the World Cup into a platform for geopolitical bargaining.

Suspension is not an extreme response; it is the standard response FIFA uses when principles are breached. Associations in India, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Chad, Pakistan and Nigeria were suspended for similar or less serious breaches of non-interference. The USA’s breach is more serious because it involves the head of state, not merely a domestic ministry or court.

The fact that Belgium is one of the nations that helped found FIFA adds a further layer of irony. Belgium is an integral part of the DNA of the organisation. To allow a host nation to use political power to overturn a disciplinary decision in a match against one of FIFA’s founding members is a betrayal of the very history FIFA claims to protect.

Infantino’s Corruption and the Need for Investigation

Gianni Infantino’s role in this is indefensible. He did not simply exercise disciplinary discretion; he responded or he allowed FIFA to respond to a direct call from a head of state. That is not leadership; it is subservience to political power. It also raises serious questions about improper communication, favouritism, and even corruption.

There must be a police investigation into Infantino and FIFA. This is not just about football rules; it is about whether a public official (in the US) and the president of an international organisation (Infantino) have engaged in improper conduct that amounts to corruption, undue influence, and abuse of power. The fact that the US administration provided legal arguments and evidence to support an appeal that was never formally lodged suggests a coordinated effort to pressure FIFA outside normal procedures.

Football associations around the world must not only block Infantino’s upcoming re-election campaign, but they must also call for a vote of no confidence and remove him from his position as FIFA President with immediate effect. He has brought the game into disrepute with his corruption and dealings with Trump. His willingness to bend FIFA’s rules to benefit a powerful nation and individual while ignoring breaches by that same nation in other contexts shows that he no longer stands for the principles FIFA claims to uphold.

The Scottish FA Must Make a Stand

The Scottish FA, in particular CEO Ian Maxwell and president Mike Mulraney, must stand up and be counted. Scotland has a proud footballing history and a tradition of defending the integrity of the game. This is the moment to show that integrity matters more than politics.

The Scottish FA should support Belgium and the integrity of the game by calling for Infantino to step down and for the USA to be disqualified from the competition for political interference. That is not anti-American; it is pro-football. It is a defense of the principle that no nation, no president, no political power should be able to dictate disciplinary outcomes in a World Cup match.

If Scotland does nothing, it will be seen as complicit in the erosion of FIFA’s rules. Other associations must follow suit. A coordinated move by multiple associations to block Infantino’s re-election and call for his removal is the only way to help restore credibility to the organisation.

Integrity Over Politics

FIFA’s rules on political interference are clear. The USA has broken them. Infantino has enabled the breach, if not helped to facilitate it. The appropriate response is suspension of the USA, a criminal and disciplinary investigation of Infantino, and removal from office. The Scottish FA must be part of this fight.

Football is supposed to be a game that transcends politics. But when politics transcends the game, when presidents lobby FIFA, wielding their power, and red cards are overturned for political reasons, the game loses its soul and its integrity. The only way to save it is to enforce the rules, even when they are broken by the most powerful nations.