Wayne Rooney’s comments prompted a reaction from UEFA. (Image: Getty)
UEFA has issued a statement suggesting that FIFA “crossed the line” in intervening with the one-match ban for Folarin Balogun. This comes after the American striker was made available for the next World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium, despite being released for the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun challenged Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic late in the match and was sent off after a VAR review. The incident sparked outrage from all quarters, with officials being criticized for brandishing a red card for what appeared to be a harmless challenge.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Mauricio Pochettino’s side won 2-0 and progressed to the next round. This means Balogun will miss the match due to an automatic one-match suspension under Article 10.5 of FIFA’s Tournament Regulations. However, the world soccer governing body caused surprise when it confirmed that Balogun would be suspended for one year, citing Article 27 of the Regulations, and announced that the suspension would be suspended and Balogun would be allowed to play.
It was later revealed that US President Donald Trump had personally appealed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the ban, which cannot be appealed under normal circumstances. “Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice! President Donald J. Trump,” President Trump posted on social media.
Former England striker Wayne Rooney slammed the intervention as “disgraceful” when discussing the topic on the BBC’s World Cup broadcast. UEFA has now joined the opposition to Balogun’s suspension, claiming the decision could threaten the “integrity of the game”.
“Yesterday’s decision to impose a one-year trial period on Folarin Balogun following his red card crossed a red line that should not be crossed. Football, like all sports, relies on rules that underpin fair, honest and transparent competition,” the statement said.
Folarin Balogun was shown a red card during America’s win over Bosnia. (Image: Getty)
“Sometimes the rules are open to interpretation, but not in this case. An automatic suspension of at least one match after receiving a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require a decision of the competent authority to be enacted. It is a principle built into the rules and cannot be subject to exceptions, especially in the middle of a tournament when several other players have found themselves in the same situation and are regularly suspended.”
“When the certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by the guardians of the rules, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of the competition is undermined. Similarly, such a decision would create a precedent in ongoing tournaments, requiring equal treatment should similar situations arise, to the detriment of the competition.”
“Soccer is a beautiful game, trusted because it is played under the same laws everywhere, and is the most loved sport in the world. A tournament never exists in isolation, and if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to influence the game as a whole, either positively or negatively.”
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjust decision.”
Rooney was furious at the decision and personally criticized Infantino, adding that the Swiss international should be “ashamed” of his decision. “I think this is absolutely shameful, I really do,” Rooney told the BBC on Sunday.
“I know it’s UEFA[and not FIFA]but before Euro 2012 I was given a three-game ban. I was going to miss three group games, but I was told that if I went to Switzerland and had a training session with a bunch of kids, I’d be banned for the third game. I didn’t want a three-game ban, so I agreed, but I thought it was wrong.”
“For this to be a suspension, they have to take away the red card, which is probably the right decision, and then he can play. But a one-year suspension? I think this is a complete disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this.”
“The sportsmanship of this game is at stake here. If I were against the Americans, I would be absolutely pissed. It’s wrong on every level. If you’re an England player or a Mexican player tonight and you get a red card, are you going to play in the next game? Where does that stop?”
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Balogun, who scored a hat-trick for the United States in the tournament’s opening game against Paraguay, acknowledged that the sequence of events was “surreal” for him, but insisted he did not deserve to be sent off in the first place.
“It’s been a roller coaster, a lot of emotions,” Balogun told reporters before Friday’s training. “Sometimes I was sad, sometimes I was happy, and to be honest, it was surreal.
“Obviously, first and foremost, it’s important for me to say that it was completely unintentional. I think a lot of people know that, but I don’t think it was the right call. I think the yellow card was fair.”
