The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, issued a statement on Monday distancing himself from his organization’s decision to reverse a red card suspension issued to American player Folarin Balogun, allowing the striker to play against Belgium on Monday night at the World Cup.
Infantino emphasized what he described as the independent nature of FIFA, the world’s largest and most powerful soccer body, and its tribunals that review referee decisions and handle team disputes. He also did confirm, however, that he had a conversation with President Donald Trump regarding the situation, but reiterated that being president of FIFA does not give him any authority over FIFA judges who ensure rules are applied fairly.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them,” Infantino wrote in his statement, published by FIFA’s media wing. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump,” Infantino confirmed, “just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders, and business executives from around the world on many different issues.”
“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies,” he added.
Infantino did not comment on his opinion of the red card issued to Balogun, instead writing of FIFA judicial opinions, “sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.”
“Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant,” he concluded. “Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”
FIFA published Infantino’s statement after President Trump commented on the situation at the White House and told reporters that he had called Infantino to discuss the matter. Trump offered his assessment that the referee issuing the foul was “a little bit suspect” and he did not consider the red card a fair punishment.
“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say, ‘You have to do this,’” Trump said. “This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He’s a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he has done has been great. I feel like we have to have all the best players on the field.”
Balogun was on the field against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday when he appeared to trip over a player. While the referee initially did not document any infraction, referee Rafael Claus ordered a review of the incident using Video Assistant Referee (VAR), in which a separate referee plays footage of the incident in slow motion. Responding to that, rather than his own viewing of the incident, Claus issued a red card.
In soccer, a red card is issued to players who commit a violation of such severity that they are immediately taken off the field for the rest of the game and are not allowed to play in the next game of the tournament. The team affected by the red card must finish the game in which it was issued with only ten players on the field — they may not replace the sanctioned player — but can return to a full team of 11 men in their next game, so long as the carded player is benched.
Rumors swirled for much of the past week that America’s top soccer authorities were attempting to appeal the red card decision or find a rule within FIFA to allow Balogun to play. On Monday, FIFA confirmed that it would apply Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which allows the official FIFA judicial body to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.” The article creates a “probationary period and emphasizes, “if the person benefiting from a suspended sanction commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
The decision caused relief and jubilation among fans of the American team and widespread outrage in Europe, particularly among fans of Belgium, the next team to play against the U.S. team. Belgium attempted to appeal the decision to suspend the red card on Monday, its football association declaring itself “astonished” at Balogun’s eligibility to play against its team. FIFA rejected Belgium’s appeal on Monday, however, after accepting a review of the appeal, on the grounds that Belgium was not a party to the original incident surrounding the red card.
The U.S.-Belgium match is expected to take place at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time in Seattle, Washington.