The last has surely not been heard about the controversial ‘suspension’ of a red card for USA’s Nigerian-born striker, Folarin Balogun at the ongoing World Cup, as former English Premier League referee, Keith Hackett opined that the development ‘has left FIFA’s integrity in doubt once again.’
Sports247 reports that critical comments are still trailing how Balogun was allowed to play the round of 16 clash with Belgium, despite getting a red card in the ealier game versus Bosnia-Herzegovina, due to an intervention by USA’s president, Donaldo J. Trump.
Hackett has now added his view to the raging debate, as the refereeing authority and former head of England’s PGMOL took a closer look at the roles and performances of arbiters at the 2026 Mundial and singled out the suspension of Balogun’s red card as a sore point.
He specifically called for a thorough investigation of the matter and told flashscore.com: “Folarin Balogun’s delayed red card has left FIFA’s integrity in doubt once more.
“The big discussion point from this World Cup – the decision to delay his suspension after he was sent off for a serious foul play challenge – judged accurately by the match referee, was and is outrageous.
“Furthermore, I understand that the decision was taken by one person – committee chairman, Mohammad Al Kamali of the UAE. If the intervention of President Trump wasn’t poor judgment enough, news that none of the other 17 members were consulted should see FIFA investigated immediately.”
UK’s Mirror added, “FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban was reportedly made solely by the chairman of its disciplinary committee – without the other 17 members being consulted. It was an unprecedented decision that sparked fierce backlash.
“The Times claim that only one official, specifically the chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, was responsible for the call. Mohammad al-Kamali of United Arab Emirates reportedly made the decision to lift Balogun’s ban, while the other 17 members of its committee weren’t asked to be involved.
“It’s noted that many previous FIFA disciplinary cases were decided by a single committee member, normally the deputy chairman, Jorge Palacio of Colombia. However, published findings of more than 100 other cases show that al-Kamali has never been the sole arbiter.”
