Sunday has seen Fifa plumb new depths, as Donald Trump thanks them for allowing Folarin Balogun to play for the USA in their last 16 match against Belgium.
The US President thanking Fifa for “reversing a great injustice” in a post on Truth Social. Donald Trump, a friend of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, wrote: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The USA striker was given a a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic as the co-hosts won 2-0 in the round of 32 match.
This meant a one-match suspension.
This led to lobbying from the USA government, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who demanded the decision be reviewed: “They got screwed with that red card. There needs to be an appeal process for that.”
BBC Sport reporting: ‘According to Fifa regulations, a red card “automatically incurs suspension from the subsequent match” but the governing body “may impose additional match suspensions and other disciplinary measures”.’
However…Fifa have said that the automatic one-match ban will be suspended for a year and stated: “In line with article 27 of the Fifa disciplinary code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year…If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
Yes this is all normal, happens all the time to loads of players who play for loads of different countries at every World Cup finals.
You only have to ask yourself one question. If this had been a Belgium player who had got red carded, would he have seen his one-game ban suspended so he could play against the USA???
It is shameful and just imagine how Belgium will feel about this if Balogun ends up helping the USA to defeat them?
Fifa under Gianni Infantino appear to have somehow become so much worse than they ever were under Sepp Blatter. Which takes some doing!
Ahead of these 2026 World Cup finals, Fifa also took the step of suspending the second and third games of a three-match suspension Cristiano Ronaldo had picked up in qualifying. This then magically allowed Ronaldo to play in the opening two Portugal group games at this World Cup. The fact that he is a global superstar who Fifa were desperate to have playing from the start of the tournament was purely coincidental…