The body argued that an automatic one-match suspension following a red card is not a discretionary option.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has issued a scathing statement condemning FIFA’s decision to suspend on probation the automatic one-match ban handed to U.S. striker Folarin Balogun. The ban had been triggered by a red card Balogun received during the United States’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
UEFA, the European football’s governing body, called the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable,” saying it crossed “a red line.”
The body argued that an automatic one-match suspension following a red card is not a discretionary option. It cannot be subject to exceptions — particularly in the middle of a tournament where other players had already served identical bans without question.
According to The Guardian, the ruling followed a personal intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump, who phoned FIFA President Gianni Infantino to appeal on Balogun’s behalf.
The red card had threatened to rule out the striker — who had scored three goals in the tournament — from the Round of 16 clash against Belgium.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee subsequently placed the suspension under a one-year probation, clearing Balogun to play. Trump then posted on Truth Social: “Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice.”
UEFA warned that the decision undermines the integrity of the competition.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake,” it said.
The body also cautioned that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, requiring equal treatment for all similar cases in the ongoing tournament.
Belgium’s football authorities had already criticised the decision before UEFA weighed in, calling it a breach of competition rules. FIFA is yet to respond to UEFA’s statement.
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