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FIFA’s disciplinary committee, the body that lifted American striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension ahead of Monday’s U.S.-Belgium game, defended its decision in a statement released hours before kickoff in Seattle — but didn’t explain the rationale for making it.
In the 13-paragraph statement, the committee explained the body’s rationale for reconsidering Balogun’s suspension. The review came after President Donald Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino last week to call for the soccer boss to take another look at the decision, after Balogun received a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Said suspension of the implementation was decided considering all of the specific circumstances surrounding the incident and evidence available,” the committee said, referring to the lifting of Balogun’s one-game ban. “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee (as any other FIFA judicial body) is independent as provided by the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
The committee also argued that by not overturning Balogun’s red card entirely, but instead merely suspending his one-game ban, it had applied a “much more balanced measure.”
Soccer pundits had widely criticized the referee’s decision to send Balogun off during the last-32 encounter, but commentators, European politicians and soccer officials rounded on the move to let Balogun play against Belgium.
Earlier Monday, UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, said that FIFA’s decision “crossed a red line,” adding that it was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
The committee fired back at UEFA in his statement, saying that previous instances of red cards being overturned in football leagues “belonging to UEFA-affiliated member associations” have “never raised concerns about crossing any ‘red line.’”
In the closest historical parallel, Brazilian star Garrincha received a red card in the 1962 World Cup, but had his suspension overturned and played in the final after the president of semifinal opponent Chile, Jorge Alessandri, lobbied FIFA to overturn the ban.
American forward Folarin Balogun will start tonight for the USMNT against Belgium in the World Cup last-16 knockout match. Balogun was sent off in the previous round against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was due to serve a one-match suspension tonight — before world football governing body FIFA unusually lifted the ban following an effort from Trump administration officials.
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