IOC rejects human rights group’s complaint against Trump ally Infantino

IOC says the complaint against its member and FIFA chief Infantino fell outside its ethics committee’s jurisdiction.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ‌‌has rejected a complaint by human rights group FairSquare against FIFA President ⁠⁠Gianni Infantino, saying ⁠⁠the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of its Ethics Commission, an IOC spokesperson said.“The IOC Ethics Commission thoroughly analysed the complaint by FairSquare,” the IOC spokesperson said on Friday.“The commission noted that the current complaint, including with regard to the FIFA president, refers only to the IF’s decisions on its governance and its management, including its relations with government, and to the IF’s implementation of the rules of its sport, which are both outside the scope of application of the IOC Code of Ethics,” the spokesperson said.“The complaint falls outside the IOC Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction. FairSquare ⁠⁠has been informed accordingly,” the spokesperson added.FairSquare lodged the complaint against Infantino on July 14, alleging that he “repeatedly breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by offering his political support for US President Donald Trump”.The group said it would lodge a complaint ⁠⁠over what it described as Infantino’s “repeated breach of political neutrality rules”, escalating a campaign that has already seen the organisation challenge FIFA’s ethics processes.It also filed a ⁠⁠complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee last year, alleging that Infantino had, on several occasions, expressed his public support for the actions and policies of President Trump.Infantino, an IOC member ⁠⁠since 2020, has faced scrutiny over a number of appearances alongside Trump, a key focus of FairSquare’s complaint.