M5S, PD and AVS MEPs write to Malagò: “Have the FIFA Ethics Committee open an investigation”

Brussels – The new president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malagò, criticised US President Donald Trump’s interference in the World Cup from the outset, describing it as “nonsense” and “a dangerous precedent.” Italian MEPs have therefore decided to seize the opportunity to call on Malagò himself to take action and launch an investigation into FIFA president Gianni Infantino. A total of 32 MEPs, including representatives from the Five Star Movement (The Left), the PD (S&D), and AVS (Greens and The Left), have written to Malagò asking him to keep up the pressure on the “Balogun case,”the US footballer whose suspension was lifted following a phone call from Trump to Infantino.

 In the letter In the letter sent by MEPs to Malagò, the FIGC is asked to “formally support the request for the FIFA Ethics Committee to open an investigation, in order to ascertain whether the disciplinary proceedings were conducted in full compliance with FIFA regulations, whether there was any external interference or political pressure in the proceedings relating to the suspension of the player’s ban, and whether the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality set out in the FIFA Statutes and Code of Ethics were upheld.” 

The outcry in the European Parliament calling for an active role for FIGC was led by Carolina Morace (M5S/The Left), a member of the Committees on Constitutional Affairs and Women’s Rights, who spearheaded the initiative, which she believes is a matter of duty: “The Balogun case cannot be allowed to fade into obscurity because it casts serious doubts on the independence and impartiality of FIFA’s disciplinary procedures,” she explains. Transparency, she emphasises, “is essential to preserving the trust of millions of fans, athletes, and federations in FIFA’s work.” At stake is “the FIFA presidency’s respect for the principle of political neutrality” and the credibility of the football system. It is an issue that some members of the Chamber are calling on Malagò to resolve immediately.