UEFA SAYS FIFA’s decision to suspend a red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun “crossed a red line”.
The former Arsenal forward is free to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday evening, unless an appeal by the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is successful.
It has been reported the decision to suspend the ban came after political pressure from the US government, and while neither Fifa nor the US authorities have commented, European football’s governing body UEFA has now waded in.
“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” a Uefa statement began.
Advertisement
Uefa expressed “disbelief” at the decision, which it said was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
Amid reports the US government pressured Fifa to suspend the ban, US President Donald Trump thanked Fifa for “reversing a great injustice” after Balogun was dismissed in the last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Uefa added in its statement: “Football, like any other sports (sic), relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition.
“Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.
“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.
“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter accused football’s global governing body of overturning the decision as a result of “political phone calls”.
The Belgian FA said on Sunday night it was “astonished” by the decision and is reported to have been granted the right to an appeal by Fifa.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia likened the decision to an April Fool’s joke, while his England counterpart Thomas Tuchel said it was a “strange” decision following his side’s 3-2 win over Mexico on Sunday.
“Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds?” the German asked.
Related Reads
'Greatest World Cup victory since 1966': English media react to Mexico win at the Azteca
Neymar calls time on Brazil career as Haaland savours 'surreal' World Cup dream
England survive frightening and exhilarating grip of Azteca to breathe life into their World Cup
“And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
4 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Uefa says ‘red line’ crossed by Fifa’s decision to reverse Folarin Balogun ban
UEFA SAYS FIFA’s decision to suspend a red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun “crossed a red line”.
The former Arsenal forward is free to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday evening, unless an appeal by the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is successful.
It has been reported the decision to suspend the ban came after political pressure from the US government, and while neither Fifa nor the US authorities have commented, European football’s governing body UEFA has now waded in.
“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” a Uefa statement began.
Uefa expressed “disbelief” at the decision, which it said was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
Amid reports the US government pressured Fifa to suspend the ban, US President Donald Trump thanked Fifa for “reversing a great injustice” after Balogun was dismissed in the last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Uefa added in its statement: “Football, like any other sports (sic), relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition.
“Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.
“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.
“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter accused football’s global governing body of overturning the decision as a result of “political phone calls”.
The Belgian FA said on Sunday night it was “astonished” by the decision and is reported to have been granted the right to an appeal by Fifa.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia likened the decision to an April Fool’s joke, while his England counterpart Thomas Tuchel said it was a “strange” decision following his side’s 3-2 win over Mexico on Sunday.
“Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds?” the German asked.
“And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
FIFA Soccer statement United States UEFA World Cup 2026