FIFA President Gianni Infantino has issued a statement on how the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision to suspend a red card decision as he says “their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hit back at the controversy surrounding the decision to suspend a red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun after US President Donald Trump admitted to asking for a “review”.
Trump has confirmed he had personally asked Infantino to “review” a red card shown to Balogun. FIFA announced on Sunday (July 5) that the automatic one-match ban for Balogun’s dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina had been suspended, with the US’ last-16 opponents, Belgium, failing in an appeal against the decision.
President Trump stated he asked for the red card to be reviewed, and said he would have felt Monday night’s match against Belgium would have been “rigged” if Balogun had not been able to play.
Following Trump confirming the rumours he personal asked for a review, Infantino issued a lengthy statement saying he regular talks with Trump like he does other world leaders, but stated the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is independent.
He also doubled down on Trump’s call not swaying the decision by saying “their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football”. He also says he sometimes agrees and does not agree with their decisions.
In the statement, he said: ““I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.
“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.
“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.”
FIFA has strict rules around political interference in the business of its national associations, and the suspensions of the red card has angered UEFA and the Belgium Football Association.
Speaking in the Oval Office earlier today, Trump said: ““I saw the play… that (challenge by Balogun) wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction, that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other,” he said.
“These were two great athletes that got tangled up and this referee, who is a little bit suspect, if you check his past, he made a call that nobody could believe. He (Balogun) didn’t do anything wrong and he’s our best player, or one of our best players… and he (the referee) gave him a red card.
“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.”
The referee President Trump was referring to was Brazil’s Raphael Claus.
Trump added: “This game (against Belgium) would have a big mark on it if we lost (without Balogun).
“No matter what happened, you have to let (teams) use their best players, and the game tonight is going to be amazing. And we’re going to have a full team, and Belgium is going to have a full team. And you know what? If (Belgium) beat us, then they can be really proud.
“The other way (with Balogun banned) – if they beat us, we’ll say it was…I’d say it was rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020, but I won’t get into that.”