Fresh details surrounding FIFA’s decision to suspend United States striker Folarin Balogun have ignited fresh debate on disciplinary processes at the FIFA World Cup.
Balogun was set to miss his team’s round of 16 tie with Belgium after he was banned for one game, and the decision attracted wide attention following claims U.S. President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to influence the matter. Infantino, however, was later firm that FIFA judicial bodies work without influence.
In contrast, a new report by The Times has suggested that the decision to suspend Balogun was made only by the chair of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Mohammad Al-Kamali of the UAE, rather than by the entire 18 members of the disciplinary body.
While individual cases of such rulings by the chairman may happen, the report indicated that most high-stakes decisions involving the FIFA disciplinary committee were made by a selection of three committee members.
The report comes amid widespread calls for greater transparency within FIFA’s decision-making structures in order to build more confidence in decision-making in major tournaments and high-stakes matches such as the World Cup, especially given Balogun is one of the more popular players on the U.S. Squad.
Belgium easily brushed aside the United States 4-1 on their way to reaching the quarter-finals, rendering the Balogun situation almost negligible in the context of the overall tournament.
