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Uefa has strongly criticised Fifa’s shock decision not to uphold Folarin Balogun’s automatic ban at this World Cup, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.
United States striker Balogun, who was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, should have served a suspension for the last-16 tie against Belgium (Tuesday 01:00 BST).
But Fifa opted not to enforce an immediate sanction on the 25-year-old, meaning the co-hosts’ leading goalscorer will be available to play.
Uefa said that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament “crossed a red line”.
Of the 188 other red cards at the World Cup, only one other player has escaped a suspension.
That was Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, which was before automatic bans were in place and it was shrouded in allegations of political interference., external
The BBC’s US media partner CBS News has confirmed that Balogun’s reinstatement came after US president Donald Trump called Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension.
On Sunday, President Trump thanked Fifa for “reversing a great injustice”.
The Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said in a statement that it is “astonished” Balogun will not be banned.
On Monday, Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said: “If a phone call is really the reason for this incomprehensible decision, it would be a blatant violation of the most basic rules of football and sport.”
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was replaced by Infantino in 2016 after a corruption scandal, wrote on X that “football must never become a playground for political power”.
Uefa said that an automatic suspension of one match “is not a discretionary option” and it is “a principle embedded in regulations”.
“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,” Uefa said in a statement.
“Equally, such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Glenn Micallef, the European Union’s commissioner for sport, said that decisions on sport “belong to sporting bodies, not politicians”.
“Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport,” he posted on X., external “Our focus should instead be on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the weaponisation of sport for political purposes.”
Uefa and Fifa have been at loggerheads over a number of decisions in recent months.
After Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup, Uefa invited the Somali to referee the Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August.
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Tuchel – Where does this end?
England coach Thomas Tuchel says there is total confusion over the disciplinary process at the World Cup after the Balogun decision.
With Jarell Quansah sent off in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico, Tuchel was asked if he would be petitioning Fifa to get the defender’s ban cancelled before Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway (22:00 BST).
“Where does this start and where does this end now?” Tuchel said. “Can we overturn it or not overturn it? What’s going on?
“Where to draw the line is the question that I ask. I have no answer to that.
“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we think it is not a red card or who thinks it? Where does this start and where does this end? It’s my question. I don’t have an answer.”
Both Balogun and Quansah were sent off following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Tuchel believes that the intervention has created uncertainty over the rules.
“I think first of all, to be very clear, that it [Balogun] was not a red card,” Tuchel said.
“But VAR got involved and obviously three people from VAR and the referee checked it were then of the opinion that it was a red card, so the decision is made.
“Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.
“So, is our yellow card after the first minute against Declan Rice… we can now debate endlessly. I think it is not a yellow card. Do we get this back?
“Does France get the yellow card back for [Michael] Olise which was not a yellow card? Where does this end? Where does it stop?
“I don’t know the rules. I am the wrong person to ask. I will wait and see what’s coming.”
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia, said: “I didn’t know that [at] the Fifa World Cup 5 July is now 1 April, and that is April Fool’s.
“We are not defending the national team or the federation, we’re defending football.”
The Athletic has reported, external that Belgium have been granted the right to appeal, another unprecedented step whereby a future opponent has been allowed to be involved in a disciplinary case.
It added that the Belgian FA has until 13:00 BST to make its case but there is no timeline for a decision, the match kicking off 12 hours later.
If Fifa stands by its decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set up an ad hoc division, external to hear swift and independent resolution of appeals against decisions at the tournament.
Blatter – Football must never become a playground for political power
Image source, Getty ImagesBlatter, along with former Uefa president Michel Platini, was last year cleared of corruption charges relating to allegations of fraud at Fifa.
The Swiss has regularly criticised decisions taken during Infantino’s presidency.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls,” Blatter wrote on X on Monday morning., external
“They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.
“If a US President intervenes with the Fifa president – and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match – the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis [where are you going], Fifa?
“Football must never become a playground for political power.”
Quansah was the 13th player to be sent off at the 2026 World Cup.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender caught Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo high on the shin following a sliding challenge in the 54th minute.
Balogun was sent off after his foot landed on the ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic, causing it to buckle.
The other 12, apart from Balogun, have served a suspension for at least the next World Cup game their country participated in.
Fifa enacted a clause in its disciplinary code which allows it to “fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure”.
This is in contradiction to the regulations of the tournament, which state that if a player receives a red card “they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match”.
Tuchel questions VAR intervention on Quansah red
Reports have suggested that the US questioned the use of slow-motion replays in the VAR review.
BBC Sport has been told that VAR protocol was followed correctly.
Tuchel highlighted the VAR process in his defence of Quansah.
“In the game this was not even given a foul, so the referee obviously also thought that it’s a hard tackle but it was OK for him to let it play,” Tuchel said.
“VAR came, made a decision and then, like always, I just saw the still on the screen. You cannot take decisions on a still in a football match. It’s just not possible.
“And they did it, of course, against us, so Jarell is very upset, of course.
“It is disappointing and the setback today because we were good in the match. For me, not enough for VAR to overturn the decision, like the penalty. But OK, it is what it is.”
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