Online Reporter
UEFA has strongly criticised FIFA’s shock decision not to uphold Folarin Balogun’s automatic ban at this World Cup, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
US striker Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, should have served a suspension for the last-16 tie against Belgium last night.
But World Cup organisers FIFA, the governing body of world football, opted not to enforce an immediate sanction on the 25-year-old, meaning the co-hosts’ leading goalscorer will be available to play.
Uefa, European football’s governing body, said that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament “crossed a red line”.
Of the 188 other red cards at the World Cup, only one other player has escaped a suspension.
That was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, which was before automatic bans were in place and it was shrouded in allegations of political interference. The BBC’s US media partner CBS News has confirmed that Balogun’s reinstatement came after US president Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension. On Sunday, President Trump thanked FIFA for “reversing a great injustice”. The Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said in a statement that it is “astonished” Balogun will not be banned. Yesterday, Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said: “If a phone call is really the reason for this incomprehensible decision, it would be a blatant violation of the most basic rules of football and sport.” — AFP.
