October 1, 2026
GENEVA (AP) — European soccer body UEFA criticized FIFA for an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” to let United States forward Folarin Balogun play at the World Cup against Belgium on Monday despite a red card in his previous game.
UEFA said in a statement that FIFA “crossed a red line” with its decision not to enforce Balogun’s mandatory one-game ban.
UEFA, whose member federations include Belgium, insisted: “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.”
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” said UEFA, where Infantino was its CEO-like general secretary from 2009 until being elected to lead FIFA in February 2016.
The Belgian soccer federation was preparing an appeal in Seattle in the early hours of Monday to challenge the Balogun ruling before a FIFA-appointed appeals judge. The round of 16 game against the U.S. is due to kick off at 5 p.m. local time.
This World Cup has been remarkable for FIFA seeming to rewrite the norms of disciplinary action even before the tournament began.
A pattern of pardons opened FIFA to suggestions of executive intervention in the statutory independence of its judicial bodies. Cristiano Ronaldo was cleared to play in Portugal’s opening World Cup game despite getting a red card for serious foul play in a qualifying game against Ireland last November. He struck an opponent with an elbow.
Balogun was sent off directly for landing with his cleated foot on the ankle of Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during a 2-0 win for the U.S. in the round of 32 last Wednesday.
Similar challenges by star players have gone unpunished at this World Cup — by Lionel Messi for Argentina against Algeria and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi vs. Brazil. Bernardo Silva of Portugal got just a yellow card against Congo.
“I think a yellow card would have been fair,” Balogun later suggested.
In Ronaldo's case, he served one game of his three-game ban in Portugal’s final qualifying game, but he was reprieved from the other two because FIFA introduced the idea of probation. An imposed three-game ban was less meaningful, as two games were deferred during a one-year probationary period.
At the opening game on June 11, South Africa's Themba Zwane got a red card against Mexico for a similar offense to Ronaldo's, and FIFA imposed a three-game ban with no probation. Zwane did not play again at the World Cup.
Three players sent off in their teams’ qualifying games last year were surprisingly told by FIFA in May they could serve their bans in a future competition instead of at the World Cup, which was the long-standing norm.
Ecuador midfielder Moisés Caicedo, Argentina defender Nicolás Otamendi and Qatar defender Tarek Salman all had their bans waived for the World Cup.
This, FIFA said in May, was to ensure teams “can compete with their strongest possible squads on the biggest stage of men’s international football.”
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