FIFA president Gianni Infantino told to quit after Folarin Balogun controversy
Pressure is piling up on Gianni Infantino’s shiny head after football figures from across the game demanded that the FIFA president step down following the extraordinary Folarin Balogun controversy at the World Cup.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has become the latest high-profile name to question Infantino’s position after US President Donald Trump claimed that he personally asked for the USA striker’s suspension to be reconsidered.
Balogun was sent off during the United States’ group-stage match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should ordinarily have ruled him out of the next game.
However, a FIFA disciplinary committee suspended the ban, allowing him to feature in the hosts’ 4-1 last-16 defeat against Belgium. It was, to put it mildly, a controversial move from world football’s governing body.
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The decision quickly became one of the tournament’s biggest talking points after Trump publicly declared that he’d contacted Infantino to request a ‘review’ of the punishment.
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Trump and the FIFA president have enjoyed a close relationship for a number of years now.
In December, Infantino presented the US president with the inaugural ‘Fifa Peace Prize’ during the World Cup draw. The relationship has fuelled accusations of cronyism from critics.
That sequence of events has prompted accusations that politics crossed into territory that football as a sport usually tries quite hard to steer clear of.
Klopp didn’t hold back when asked about the controversy, either. The outspoken German, who is set to become his country’s next national team manager, questioned whether football’s credibility had been damaged.
‘This is our sport, not theirs,’ he said. ‘If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question.’
The backlash hasn’t just been confined to managers. Former England striker Gary Lineker suggested that, regardless of whether Balogun had been cleared to play, the United States could have made its own statement.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker praised Belgium for ignoring the surrounding noise before suggesting that Mauricio Pochettino or Balogun himself might have been better off deciding that the striker shouldn’t play.
‘I don’t think that’s right for football, the integrity of the game, the integrity of the sport,’ Lineker said, adding that leaving Balogun out voluntarily could have sent a powerful message.
The backlash has spread well beyond former players too. David Bernstein, the former Football Association (FA) chairman, argued that the episode struck at one of football’s defining strengths: that the same rules are supposed to apply wherever the game is played.
British politicians have also entered the debate.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey called for Infantino to resign, insisting that the World Cup belongs to supporters rather than political figures.
‘Infantino must go. No matter where it’s held, the World Cup belongs to the fans, not gangsters like Trump.’
Even Sepp Blatter, Infantino’s predecessor, criticised the handling of the affair. And the Swiss ex-FIFA boss is hardly squeaky clean himself.
Blatter was removed from football after receiving an eight year ban in 2015, yet his condemnation added another notable voice to a rapidly growing list of detractors. UEFA has also criticised the situation.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 after winning the election that followed the corruption crisis engulfing world football’s governing body.
He has since been re-elected unopposed twice. Earlier this year he also confirmed that he intends to seek another four year term when the presidency is contested again in 2027.
The latest controversy is far from the first difficult chapter of Infantino’s presidency.
Before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar he attracted widespread condemnation over remarks made during a lengthy press conference in which he said: ‘Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.’
The comments were heavily opposed by human rights groups and campaigners.
His close relationships with political leaders in several countries have also regularly attracted scrutiny.
Some have questioned whether FIFA has become too closely aligned with governments hosting or bidding for major tournaments, although Infantino has defended his approach as necessary diplomacy.
FIFA’s decision to expand the men’s World Cup from 32 to 48 teams has divided opinion throughout his time in office.
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Supporters believe it gives more nations the chance to compete on the biggest stage. Opponents argue that it dilutes the tournament and creates a more congested football calendar.
He has also faced scrutiny over proposals for biennial World Cups, plans that were ultimately abandoned after strong opposition from players, supporters, leagues and continental governing bodies.
Whether the latest storm proves more damaging than those that came before remains to be seen. What is already clear is that the pressure on Infantino is no longer coming from one corner of football. It’s arriving from managers, former players, administrators and politicians alike.
Will he step down? Don’t bet on it.
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/07/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-told-quit-folarin-balogun-controversy-29072806/