By Bo Erickson
WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended world soccer’s disciplinary process on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump praised FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card ban, while Belgium challenged the striker’s eligibility and criticism spread across football and politics.
Infantino said FIFA’s judicial bodies operated “independently and autonomously” and that he had told Trump the Balogun case was subject to an ongoing legal process, even as the U.S. President described the decision to reinstate the United States striker as “brilliant” after personally urging FIFA to review the case.
The affair has become the tournament’s biggest controversy, drawing condemnation from UEFA, which said FIFA had “crossed a red line”, the Royal Belgian Football Association, senior coaches, football officials and politicians, with critics arguing FIFA had undermined confidence in its own disciplinary system.
It also prompted the Belgians, who play the U.S. later on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals, to challenge Balogun’s eligibility for the match. The player was sent off for a tackle during the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a punishment that usually carries an automatic one-match ban.
“He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong and he is our best player,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Monday. “When they take your best player and say ‘You can’t play’ it’s very unfair.”
“I think they made a really brilliant decision,” Trump said. “I asked for a review. If they would not allow a top player to play I think it (the World Cup) would have had a big stain. I related that feeling.”
Trump also questioned the quality of refereeing by Brazil’s Raphael Claus, who had sent Balogun off, saying he was “a little bit suspect if you check his past.” He did not elaborate.
Infantino later confirmed the call but said he explained to Trump that FIFA’s judicial bodies operated independently.
“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,” Infantino said in a statement. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
For UEFA, the decision to suspend the ban was wrong.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” UEFA said. “Yesterday’s decision … crossed a red line”.
“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.”
Several national football federations have been equally critical of FIFA’s decision.
“It is fundamental that the existing regulations are predictable, transparent, and equal for everyone. If a red card, which normally leads to a suspension, is then postponed in the middle of an ongoing championship without clarity as to why and how the regulations should apply, we find that very problematic,” Swedish Football Association President Simon Astrom told TT.
ELIGIBILITY CHALLENGE
The Royal Belgian Football Association challenged FIFA’s decision to declare Balogun eligible to play on Monday.
“To be clear, as of this moment, the RBFA has still not received any decision or any explanation from FIFA regarding this matter,” it said. “It therefore has no alternative but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match.”
The Brazilian FA (CBF) rejected any suggestion regarding the quality of Claus’ refereeing.
“The CBF refutes any insinuation that casts doubt on Raphael Claus’s integrity. He is an exemplary professional, whose career is amply supported by technical assessments, consistent performance and the trust placed in him by the leading national and international competitions,” it said.
The high-profile criticism also echoed that from big names in the sport.
“This is our sport, not theirs,” said former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who is in talks to become the new Germany coach.
“If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question. These two people, who know nothing about football, should have absolutely nothing to do with this.”
It is not the first time this year that FIFA has been accused of mixing politics with sport, with Infantino attending President Trump’s Board of Peace meeting in February and facing subsequent questions about the body’s political neutrality.
STRANGE DECISION
Balogun, who has scored three goals in the tournament, was sent off after a VAR review for dragging his studs down the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg and onto his foot during their win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
The red card carried an automatic one-match ban, ruling Balogun out of Monday’s tie with Belgium. FIFA instead suspended the ban for a one-year probationary period without rescinding the card itself.
England manager Thomas Tuchel questioned the decision, having just seen his defender Jarell Quansah get sent off in his side’s 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico.
“Who overturns this decision then and when? And on what grounds? How far does this go now? This is strange for me,” Tuchel told reporters at the Azteca Stadium.
Even former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who stepped down in 2015 amid corruption allegations, joined the criticism.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies,” he said. “If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power.”
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ed Osmond)
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