UEFA has launched a scathing attack on FIFA following the football governing body’s shock decision to allow USMNT striker Folarin Balogun to escape an automatic suspension.
Balogun was shown a straight red card during the USA’s victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in the round of 32, which typically triggers an automatic one-game absence. However, FIFA intervened to push the suspension back for a probationary period of one year, sparking reaction from the football world.
UEFA has now condemn the move. The European body argued that the automatic suspension is a fundamental pillar of the game that should never be subject to whim or political pressure.
Referee Raphael Claus shows Folarin Balogun a red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic #4 of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Maja Hitij – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
UEFA said in an official statement: “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.
“Football, like any other sports, 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.
A general view of San Francisco Bay Area Stadium as Folarin Balogun is issued a red card. (Photo by Elysia Su/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
“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.”
Despite the criticism towards FIFA decision, Balogun will be eligible to play in the round-of-16 clash against Belgium in Seattle.
Reports have suggested that FIFA intervention followed a personal telephone call from Trump to Infantino, a claim that has only added fuel to the fire regarding the tournament’s sporting integrity.
