Folarin Balogun, a key striker for the United States men’s soccer team, will be able to play in Monday’s World Cup game against Belgium after FIFA overturned his one-game red-card suspension. President Trump said Monday that he had asked for the review that ultimately led to the reversal. Here’s how the events unfolded.
U.S. vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup game on July 1
Balogun fouls Tarik Muharemovic, a Bosnian defender, in the 61st minute of the U.S. vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina Round of 32 knockout game.
The play was not initially issued a yellow or red card. Muharemovic was receiving treatment on the field when the Brazilian referee Raphael Claus announced the play would be subjected to Video Assistant Referee, or V.A.R., review.
After the review, Claus issued a red card, which sent Balogun to the locker room. Under existing rules, a red card would also bar Balogun from playing in the next game.
The campaign to review the suspension
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House task force on the World Cup, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, who attended the game and sat next to FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, began enlisting lawyers to appeal the suspension — a process that does not exist in the FIFA disciplinary code. The lawyers sent a memorandum to U.S. Soccer Federation officials detailing a legal path to overturning the one-game suspension.
Scott Goodwin, a hedge fund manager and major donor to the U.S. Soccer Federation, informed Trump officials of unsubstantiated accusations against Claus, the referee. The allegations included a claim that he was involved in fixing matches in Brazil by giving out irregular red cards. Brazilian authorities and FIFA officials have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Claus.
Mr. Trump called Mr. Infantino and asked him to review the suspension. Mr. Trump mentioned the unsubstantiated match-fixing claim to Mr. Infantino.
On Sunday, FIFA released a statement that it was overturning Balogun’s suspension for a year under Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which functions as a broad veto clause.
Fallout from FIFA decision
Belgium’s football association issued a press statement declaring that it would “investigate all potential options.” The rule declaring an automatic suspension after a red card had been reiterated in a letter sent to all national teams before the World Cup. On Monday, FIFA denied an appeal by the Royal Belgian Football Association, calling it “inadmissible” and asserting that the association had “no standing to appeal the decision.” European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, released a statement calling the decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that the commission supported “the principle of fair play and transparent competition.”
Mr. Trump on Monday defended his decision to request that FIFA review the red-card suspension. Mr. Infantino confirmed that he spoke with Mr. Trump about the suspension, but insisted that the reversal resulted from an independent process.
