Infantino, Fifa and Trump have dealt a mammoth blow to soccer’s integrity

The good news is that justice was eventually served when Belgium thrashed the USA 4-1 in their round of 16 clash at the ongoing 2026 Fifa World Cup. The bleak news is that because of the USA using their Trump card to have Fifa suspend Folarin Balogun’s ban, clearing him for play, the integrity of the World Cup and soccer has been severely dented.

The knockout round match (played on Tuesday, 7 July) took place under a dark cloud due to the inclusion of American forward Folarin Balogun, who was supposed to be serving a one-match suspension before Fifa controversially lifted his ban. The striker was red-carded during his country’s round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balogun scored the opening goal on the cusp of half-time during the 2-0 win. He was then shown his marching orders midway through the second stanza after stepping on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus was beckoned to the video assistant referee (VAR) on-field screen by his colleagues, after initially treating the incident between Balogun and Muharemović as an unfortunate collision.

But when he stepped up to watch the replays, they showed Balogun trampling on Muharemović’s upper ankle. Even though the sequence appeared to be accidental as the American striker was focused on the ball, it could have easily ended with a serious ankle injury for the Bosnian player. Hence red was eventually shown.

Call ‘to query’

US President Donald Trump admitted before the match against Belgium that he had called Fifa boss Gianni Infantino to query Balogun’s red card, as well as the fact that the 25-year-old would be suspended for the match against Belgium as a consequence.

“I saw the play… that wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running at full speed that happened to crash into each other,” Trump said. “You can’t take your foot and properly place it on somebody else’s foot. These were two great athletes that got tangled up.

“It’s very unfair, you can’t do that. So, yes, I asked for a review by Fifa. I spoke to a man who’s highly respected [Infantino] and by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold,” stated Trump.

Trump’s world

It’s only in Trump’s world of perpetual delusion where Infantino and Fifa’s reputation has increased. Of course, once the sitting US president believes something, nothing and no one can convince him otherwise. His continued utterances of a “white genocide” in South Africa are evidence of this.

In reality, Infantino and Fifa have been rightfully bashed from every direction for the Balogun decision. Especially because they did not overturn the red card, only suspended it for a year, under the provisions of Article 27 in Fifa Disciplinary Code. Under this rule, the committee has discretion to suspend the implementation of any disciplinary measures incurred by a player in a match.

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Uefa’s Fifa criticism

However, European soccer’s governing body Uefa accused Fifa of “crossing a red line” with the Balogun decision.

“Football, like any other sport, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted,” said Uefa.

“It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension,” the federation added.

“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. 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.”

Fifa responds

Fifa disciplinary committee chairperson Mohammed Al Kamali has since struck back at Uefa’s statement on the matter.

“Reviewing the legal consequences of red cards in football is nothing new in the modern game. For instance, in the majority of top-tier leagues belonging to Uefa-affiliated member associations – the overturning of red cards is a common disciplinary measure,” said Al Kamali.

“Yet this has never raised concerns about crossing any ‘red line’. And again, it should be emphasised that in the decision under scrutiny, the red card was not overturned. Suspending the effects of a red card based on an explicit provision of the applicable regulations is a much more balanced measure,” the chairperson added.

Contrary to Al Kamali’s assertion that Balogun’s red card being suspended instead of being completely overturned means justice has somehow still been served is a fallacy. If the committee felt the sending off was unfair or unwarranted from the referee, they would have completely overturned the red card, instead of suspending it.

Messi, Ronaldo... consistency is key

The inconsistency in the application of rules creates an Animal Farm-esque scenario; where all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Argentina’s Lionel Messi survived being sent off for a challenge similar to that of Balogun in his country’s group stage match against Algeria. Messi caught Algerian defender Aïssa Mandi on his leg with the studs-up tackle.

Meanwhile, Messi’s long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo also received preferential treatment from Fifa before the World Cup. Ronaldo’s three-match suspension for violent conduct during a November World Cup-qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland was reduced to a single match.

The other two matches were suspended, on the condition that he does not receive another red card during the one-year probationary period. This meant Ronaldo missed Portugal’s final qualifying match against Armenia. But he began the World Cup on a “clean” slate.

“I read the decisions of the Fifa disciplinary committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree,” said Fifa boss Infantino.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of Fifa at all times,” the 56-year-old added.

In spite of Infantino’s diplomatic stance, the reputational damage to himself and Fifa has been dealt, and it is major. Suspended sentences from transgressions are seemingly the new normal. Depending on who you are, of course. DM