USA striker Folarin Balogun will be cleared to play in Tuesday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium after FIFA’s controversial decision to replace the automatic one-match ban for a red card with a suspension.
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin and FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino (Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
UEFA has issued a strongly worded statement criticizing FIFA’s “unjust” decision to lift the red card of American star Folarin Balogun and allow him to play in the last-16 match against Belgium. Former Arsenal striker Balogun, who was sent off for a serious offense in the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was due to miss Tuesday’s game in Seattle.
However, FIFA controversially triggered a little-known clause in its rules to postpone Balogun’s ban for a year in a big boost for the co-hosts, as the 25-year-old is the World Cup’s top scorer. It was also revealed that US President Donald Trump called FIFA’s Gianni Infantino to try to overturn the red card, but FIFA insists the call had no influence on the decision.
Infantino and FIFA have faced intense backlash, with the Belgian Football Association confirming in a statement that it was “examining all possible options”. Announcing the verdict, UEFA said the decision had “crossed a red line” and was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjust”.
Their statement read: “Yesterday’s decision to suspend the execution of Folarin Balogun’s one-year probationary period following the red card he received crossed a red line that should not be crossed.
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“Soccer, like any sport, relies on rules that underlie fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation, but that is not the case 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 competent authority’s decision to be enacted.”
“This is a principle built into the regulations and no exceptions can be made, let alone 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 the ongoing tournament, which would require equal treatment in similar situations, and would have a negative impact on the competition. Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful sport, and trusted because it is played under the same laws everywhere.”
“A tournament is never purely independent, and if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to influence the game as a whole, positively or negatively. We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjust decision.”
Should Folarin Balogun’s red card have been lifted? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Folarin Balogun is eligible to play against Belgium (Image: John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
UEFA’s statement adds fuel to the fire as the battle with FIFA continues. It has long been speculated that football’s two most powerful organizations are fighting for control of the sport.
After the news broke on Monday afternoon, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia likened the decision to an April Fool’s joke. Coach Garcia, who defeated Senegal 3-2 in the previous round, said, “I didn’t know that July 5th was the same day as April 1st in FIFA.
“I think you should refer to the (statement) of my federation, the Belgian federation. I think there’s a lot in it. The federation doesn’t protect itself, it doesn’t protect the national team. The federation protects football in general. The federation protects integrity. It protects ethics.”
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