Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) president, Gianni Infantino has downplayed the controversy that erupted over a decision by the global body to ‘suspend’ a red card shown USA’s Nigerian-born striker, Folarin Balogun during their World Cup round of 16 clash with Bosnia.
READ ALSO: Folarin Balogun Has US President Donald Trump To Thank For His Suspended Red Card At 2026 World Cup
Sports247 reports that, while several football fans, analysts, ex-players and coaches the world over condemned the unprecendented action taken by FIFA, Infantino has come out with a declaration that the decision was reached after a thorough consideration by all facts on ground.
Although US president, Donald J. Trump boasted that he actually called Infantino to plead on behalf of Balogun, who he believes was unjustly dismissed, after mistakenly stepping on an opponent, Infantino insists FIFA’s disciplinary committee arrived at the verdict through an independent process.
While he also admitted receiving a call from Trump, Infantino stressed that it did not amount to interference in the disciplinary process that reviewed Balogun’s case, considering that the juducial committee is not bound by his opinion and he never puts any pressure on them to influence their decisions.
Infantino disclosed further in a formal statement: “I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football.
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the president of the United States. I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world.
“During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”
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