FIFA's Balogun red card reprieve made by single official without consulting 17 committee members

FIFA’s decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-game suspension ahead of the USA’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium was made by a single official — the chairman of its disciplinary committee — without the other 17 members of that body being consulted, The Times has reported.

Balogun had been shown a straight red card during the USA’s 2-0 round-of-16 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina and was set to miss the quarter-final in Seattle. With less than 48 hours until kick-off, FIFA announced it had deferred the punishment, making the striker eligible to play — a decision described as unprecedented in World Cup history. It marked the first time a player had received a red card at a World Cup and not been automatically suspended for the following round.

According to The Times, Mohammad al-Kamali of the United Arab Emirates was the sole official responsible for lifting the ban. Published findings from more than 100 other FIFA disciplinary cases show that al-Kamali has never previously acted as the sole arbiter, with significant cases typically decided by three committee members jointly. Previous single-member decisions were ordinarily handled by deputy chairman Jorge Palacio of Colombia.

The ruling drew fierce criticism from UEFA, which accused FIFA of “crossing a red line” in a strongly-worded statement. Al-Kamali declined to comment when approached by the BBC ahead of England’s victory over Norway.

The controversy deepened when United States President Donald Trump revealed he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the red card on the eve of the quarter-final. Infantino denied the call had any bearing on the outcome, releasing a statement insisting that FIFA’s judicial bodies “are independent” and “operate autonomously” in applying the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

Despite being cleared to play, Balogun — the USA’s top scorer at the tournament — could not prevent his side from suffering a comprehensive 4-1 defeat to Belgium in Seattle. FIFA had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.