The European football governing body has expressed sharp criticism toward FIFA following a controversial decision to lift the automatic red-card ban against US striker Folarin Balogun for the upcoming World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium.
UEFA announced on Monday that the decision to postpone the implementation of the automatic one-game suspension following a red card-on a probationary period of one year-had “crossed a red line.” UEFA stressed that football, like any other sport, relies on rules that form the foundation of fair, honest, and transparent competition. While acknowledging that rules sometimes allow for interpretation, they argued that this specific instance did not. “An automatic suspension of at least one game after a red card is not a discretionary decision and does not require approval from a relevant authority to take effect,” UEFA stated.
Furthermore, UEFA argued that if the legal certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by their guardians, the integrity of the game is jeopardized, and the credibility of the tournament is undermined. They added that such a decision creates a dangerous precedent during the ongoing tournament, necessitating equal treatment in similar situations, which harms the competition. UEFA declared itself “speechless” over what it called an “unprecedented, incomprehensible, and unjustified decision.”
FIFA had previously announced the lifting of the red-card ban for Balogun, setting it aside “on probation.” The World Federation of Football did not provide a specific reason for this change. However, media reports are increasingly circulating suggesting that FIFA President Gianni Infantino received a call from US President Donald Trump in the run-up to the decision. Experts had already deemed Trump highly agitated following the dismissal, which was widely viewed as a controversial decision.
