Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter reacted to the soccer organization’s decision to suspend USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun’s red card ban ahead of the squad’s match against Belgium.
Blatter was banned twice by FIFA after a corruption investigation and remains suspended from participating in organization activities until 2027. Current FIFA President Gianni Infantino ultimately replaced Blatter as the head.
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Balogun received a red card during the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina for stepping on the ankle of a defender while trying to corral a ball. The card was issued after a VAR review. Amid the uproar, a source told Fox News that President Donald Trump called Infantino and asked that FIFA review the play. On Sunday, the reversal was announced.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls,” Blatter wrote on X. “They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. 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.”
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Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and White House task force leader Andrew Giuliani put together a team of lawyers outside the White House to challenge the use of slow-motion replay to give Balogun the red card, according to OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis.
It’s unclear how much FIFA took the approach into account.
Belgium reportedly was granted the right to appeal the decision and asked FIFA for a comprehensive explanation on why the suspension was put off.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished” and Belgium coach Rudi Garcia mocked FIFA’s ruling.
“I didn’t know that in the offices of FIFA the fifth of July was the first of April in Europe,” Garcia said through a translator. “The Belgian federation does not defend itself, it does not protect the national team. She defends football in general, she defends her integrity, her ethics. I think it’s the first time in the history of the World Cup that there is this kind of decision.”
UEFA also said that FIFA’s decision “crossed a red line.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
