FOOTBALL – Fifa suspended United States striker Folarin Balogun’s automatic red-card ban yesterday, clearing him to face Belgium in the World Cup last-16 clash, after US President Donald Trump called on Fifa President Gianni Infantino to review the decision.
At the time of going to press early this morning, the US and Belgium match was ongoing.
The decision sent shockwaves through the World Cup and echoed high-profile criticism from some big names in the sport.
“This is our sport, not theirs,” said former Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp, in talks to become the new Germany coach.
“If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question. These two people, who know nothing about football, should have absolutely nothing to do with this.”
The head of the German football association (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, said the “integrity of the competition and the credibility of Fifa are at stake.”
As criticism spilled over into the political sphere, the European Commissioner For Sport, Glenn Micallef, warned against “the weaponisation of sport for political purposes.”
Within minutes, yesterday’s decision to suspend the ban was dominating sports bulletins and talk shows as pundits, commentators and former players argued over whether Fifa had upheld justice or undermined its own rules.
It is not the first time this year that Fifa has been accused of mixing politics with sport, with Fifa boss Infantino attending President Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in February and facing subsequent questions about the body’s political neutrality.
Balogun, who has scored three goals for the US in the tournament, was sent off after a VAR review for dragging his cleats down the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg and onto his foot during their victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
The red card carried an automatic one-match ban, ruling Balogun out of today’s tie with Belgium.
Fifa instead suspended the ban for a one-year probationary period without rescinding the card itself.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said Balogun’s tackle did not deserve a red card, but he questioned the decision to suspend the punishment, having just seen his defender Jarell Quansah get sent off in his side’s 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico on Sunday.
“Who overturns this decision then and when? And on what grounds? How far does this go now? This is strange for me,” Tuchel told reporters at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico yesterday.
Even former Fifa boss Sepp Blatter, who stepped down in 2015 amid corruption allegations, joined the criticism.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies,” he said.
“If a US President intervenes with the Fifa President – and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match – the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, Fifa? Football must never become a playground for political power.”
Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malago said: “It truly seemed absurd to me. I even looked at Article 27, which allows, or would allow, Fifa and only Fifa, meaning it cannot be replicated in the various national leagues. Thank goodness, because that would truly be Armageddon.”
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