FIFA is being criticized over its decision to lift the red card suspension for leading U.S. Men’s National Team scorer Folarin Balogun, allowing him to play against Belgium on Monday night.
The Union of European Football Associations, Europe’s soccer governing body, said FIFA “crossed a red line,” and expressed its “disbelief” at a decision it called “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
“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,” the governing body said in a statement. “[Soccer] 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.”
In a statement Monday, FIFA said that under Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, “the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has the discretion to suspend the implementation of any disciplinary measures so long as they do not relate to match manipulation—which, of course, did not occur here.”
“It should be added that employment of art. 27 FDC is not unprecedented, as similar decisions have previously been issued during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers,” FIFA said.
The organization maintained that sanctions against Balogun were not lifted, saying that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed a $40,000 fine against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The committee’s move to suspend the one-match ban was “decided considering all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available,” FIFA said, but did not go into details.
“Reviewing the legal consequences of red cards in football is nothing new in the modern game,” the statement said. “Suspending the effects of a red card based on an explicit provision of the applicable regulations is a much more balanced measure.”
Sources familiar with the matter had told CBS News that Balogun’s reinstatement came after President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension, which would have kept the 25-year-old striker from playing in the round of 16 World Cup match.
Mr. Trump on Monday said he asked for a review by FIFA “because I didn’t think it was a foul.”
“When they take your best player, or just about, they have some great players … and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair,” the president said in remarks in the Oval Office.
“If they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe among the best on the team, I think it would have left a big stain,” he said.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, also spoke to Infantino about the situation, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was in communication with FIFA.
Spokespeople for the White House, Lutnick and Giuliani did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.
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The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision, and added it contradicts FIFA’s own rules.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” the body said in a statement.
Prominent British commentators expressed similar condemnation.
Wayne Rooney, a former player for Manchester United and England’s national team, called the decision an “absolute disgrace.”
“Infantino should be ashamed of this because I think the sportsmanship of the game is in question here,” Rooney told the BBC on Sunday.
Prominent commentator and former England player Gary Neville said Sunday the decision “absolutely stinks.”
“There should be a review process in place,” he told ITV Sports. “Are we surprised? No, not with this lot,” Neville added.
The European Union’s Commissioner for Sport said he also believed it was the “wrong decision.”
“Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians. Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport,” Glenn Micallef said in a social media post.
Infantino said Monday in a statement that “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent.”
“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, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues,” Infantino said.
“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 said. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it sent a letter to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision to let Balogun play and an explanation of the process that was followed. In the letter, the association also expressed “its position regarding the applicable regulations.”
FIFA considered the request “an appeal,” which it then deemed inadmissible, the association said.
In a statement, the FIFA Appeal Committee said, “The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision.”
“For an appeal to be admissible, FIFA’s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant,” the Royal Belgian Football Association said. “While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.”
The association added later that it “has informed the United States Soccer Federation that it contests the eligibility of the player, should the player be listed on the referee’s team sheet.”
A European Commission spokesperson, Eva Hrncirova, told reporters Monday that the EU supports “the principle of fair play and transparency in the competition.”
The U.S. wound up losing to Belgium 4-1 in the World Cup round of 16 knockout match in Seattle. That ended the Americans’ hopes of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.