Sepp Blatter accuses FIFA of bowing to political pressure over red card reversal

FIFA stands accused of overturning a red card issued to United States striker Folarin Balogun following alleged "political phone calls", according to its former president Sepp Blatter. The global governing body confirmed on Sunday that Balogun’s one-match ban, received during the last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, had been suspended for a year, making him available to face Belgium in the last 16 on Monday.

The decision was welcomed by US President Donald Trump, who hailed it as reversing "a great injustice". This comes amid reports suggesting that the American government exerted pressure on FIFA to lift the suspension. Neither FIFA nor the White House’s World Cup Task Force has commented on these claims.

However, Sepp Blatter, who previously led FIFA, believes the organisation faces serious questions regarding the integrity of its decision. "Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies," Blatter stated on his X account. He added: "If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis (where are you going), FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power."

Blatter’s tenure as FIFA president concluded in 2015 when he was banned from football for an initial eight years, later reduced to six on appeal, concerning a payment made to Michel Platini. Both men were acquitted in Swiss courts regarding the payment, which they consistently maintained was back payment for Platini’s advisory work. A further six-year suspension was imposed on Blatter by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2021 for other breaches of its code.

The Belgian football association (RBFA) expressed its "astonishment" at the decision by FIFA’s disciplinary committee and indicated it was "investigating all potential options". Reports on Monday morning suggested the RBFA had lodged an appeal against the ruling, with a deadline of 1pm UK time to submit supporting documents. FIFA has yet to confirm if it has granted the RBFA leave to appeal.

Belgium’s head coach, Rudi Garcia, likened the situation to an April Fool’s Day joke, while England counterpart Thomas Tuchel described it as a "strange" decision after his side’s 3-2 win over Mexico. "Who overturns this decision and when and on what grounds?" the German questioned. "And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions."