U.S. President Donald Trump’s involvement in overturning Folarin Balogun’s mandatory one-game suspension at the World Cup is drawing criticism and may lead to a formal complaint to FIFA ethics investigators.
The Norway soccer federation announced that its board of directors is considering filing the complaint during its next meeting, likely on August 6. Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness expressed the need for FIFA leadership to acknowledge the decision as an error in an interview with The Times.
The controversy centers around Trump’s call to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, which resulted in the deferral of Balogun’s suspension after a red-card tackle against Bosnia-Herzegovina, allowing him to play in the match against Belgium. Belgium secured a 4-1 victory over the U.S. following this decision, and the event became one of the most talked-about controversies in World Cup history.
Trump criticized the referee’s decision to issue a red card to Balogun after a video review and claimed credit for influencing FIFA to review what is typically a standard one-game ban. Klaveness, a former Women’s World Cup player and current member of the UEFA executive committee, stated that the decision was influenced by external forces and did not follow the proper process. She warned that compromising the rules could jeopardize the integrity of the game.
Klaveness, a lawyer and judge, has positioned the Norwegian federation as a vocal advocate for integrity in world soccer since her election in 2022. She expressed concern about compromising fundamental game rules.
Previously, Norway joined a complaint to the FIFA ethics committee by a London-based NGO. The complaint alleged Infantino breached political neutrality by proposing a peace prize for Trump during the World Cup draw in December. Trump’s close relationship with Infantino, including the U.S. president’s view of Infantino as a potential candidate for the United Nations secretary-general position, was also noted.
The human rights NGO FairSquare filed an ethics complaint regarding the Balogun incident with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where Infantino is a member. The complaint alleged violations of the IOC’s political neutrality rules.
FIFA and the IOC rarely comment on ongoing cases handled by their ethics bodies. Questions have been raised about the independence of FIFA’s disciplinary process since key investigators and judges were replaced in 2017.
FIFA has not released documents explaining the decision-making process for Balogun’s case or other World Cup player suspensions.
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