Mon, July 06, 2026
FIFA’s adherence to political neutrality compromised after Balogun’s one-match ban is suspended for a probationary period of one year
FIFA's commitment to political neutrality has come under scrutiny following its decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun's one-match ban for a one-year probationary period, after US President Donald Trump publicly intervened in support of the player.
Balogun, who currently has three goals and as many assists at the 2026 tournament, was sent off following a VAR review for serious foul play after he stepped on the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina player, Tarik Muharemovic, during the World Cup round of 32 where the US won 2-0. The decision that Balogun will be eligible to play against Belgium, even though he was expected to serve a one-match ban, came after FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, had a call with Trump. The one-match ban has officially been suspended for a probationary period of one year by FIFA’s Independent Disciplinary Committee.
Following his call with Infantino and the revelation that Balogun will be able to suspend his ban, Trump thanked FIFA on social media “for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”
It has also been reported that lawyers from Trump’s administration, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who sat beside Infantino during the US v Bosnia match, and US Soccer donor Scott Goodwin, prepared legal materials that were sent to US Soccer to support an appeal against Balogun’s one match suspension.
Goodwin commented on social media: “The media is dramatically overstating the involvement of ANYONE outside of US Soccer and its legal team in this process. Like 300 million other Americans, I was p**sed off by the red-card call and inspired by the team’s response to it. I reached out to U.S. Soccer (like many others did) and was told they were engaged in the process with the FIFA Independent Disciplinary Committee and that process needed to run its course.”
Some commentors argued that the VAR presentation to the on-field referee relied heavily on freeze-frames and slow-motion images, perhaps exaggerating how bad the challenge was.
The Athletic has reported that the US Soccer Federation worked “tirelessly” to have Balogun reinstated for the Belgium match and ensured the player presented himself in a “magnanimous” manner to the public to assist this. Therefore, the outlet suggests this is the reason why Balogun did not focus on his red card when speaking to the media but was instead conscious of “inspiring little kids, boys and girls who are watching” and wanting to “show them the correct way to handle things.”
Even though it is currently unknown how much influence Trump had in this decision, FIFA’s political neutrality has been called into question over other issues too. For example, FIFA has an office in Trump Tower in Manhattan. Trump also persuaded Infantino to hold the Word Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, a performing arts venue which Trump took over.
Another example includes commentors suggesting that FIFA was hypocritical in its decision to force Haiti to change its kit at the beginning of the tournament due to revolutionary iconography. Some suggested that even though the decision indicated a commitment to neutrality, politics remained deeply intertwined with the tournament, pointing to the fact that in December, the governing body awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to Donald Trump, with Infantino voicing: “I think we should all support what he’s [Trump’s] doing because I think it’s looking pretty good.”
Other countries have expressed outrage at FIFA’s decision, The Royal Belgian Football Association stated it was “astonished by FIFA’s decision” and was “investigating all potential options” to have it overturned.
Rudi Garcia, Belgium’s Head Coach, expressed: “I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April 1 (April Fools’ Day) at FIFA…
I think we should refer to the (statement) of my federation, the Belgian federation. A lot of things are in it. The federation does not defend itself, it does not defend the national team — it defends football in general. It defends its integrity. It defends its ethics.” FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee can decide against sharing how it came to its verdict, even if Belgium requests an explanation.
There was also previous controversy when Cristiano Ronaldo’s three-match ban was partly suspended, making him eligible for Portugal’s first two World Cup games, and when FIFA expanded the Club World Cup to 32 teams and added a host Major League Soccer (MLS) spot, allowing Inter Miami CF, featuring Lionel Messi, to qualify for the tournament.
Decisions such as these have led to criticism from some commentators, football officials and supporters, who argue that FIFA does not always seem to adhere to its own regulations.
