Former Scotland international Craig Burley has launched a blistering attack on FIFA after the governing body overturned a red card shown to United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ex-Chelsea and Celtic midfielder, now a pundit in the United States, accused FIFA of leaving themselves open to allegations of corruption following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump personally called FIFA President Gianni Infantino three times to lobby for the decision to be reversed.
Trump's Intervention and Balogun's Red Card
Balogun, who had scored his third goal of the tournament to put the USA 1-0 ahead, was sent off 19 minutes into the second half after a VAR review deemed his tackle on Tarik Muharemovic worthy of a red card. Trump, who later claimed he did not know what a red card was prior to the incident, allegedly contacted Infantino repeatedly to have the decision overturned. As a result, Balogun is now free to play in the quarter-final clash against Belgium.
Both UEFA and the Belgian Football Association have issued strongly worded statements condemning FIFA's actions. The Belgian FA vowed to pursue all legal options "in defence of the fundamental principles of ethics, fair competition, and the interests of football as a whole." Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund legend Jurgen Klopp also criticized Trump and Infantino, telling them they know nothing about football and should stay out of the sport.
Burley's Fiery Critique on ESPN
Burley, who earned 46 caps for Scotland and played in the 1998 World Cup, has lived in the United States since 2013 and works as a regular football pundit. During ESPN's coverage of England's 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico, he did not hold back. "We all know why this has been overturned and where the pressure has came from," Burley said. "However, FIFA and Gianni Infantino as an organisation, have a duty to rebuke any advances to influence a sporting decision, and they have not."
He added: "They have left themselves with a shell of any decency here. They have left themselves absolutely open to everyone that says this organisation and I'm not going to say corrupt but borderline does what they want." Burley pointed to other controversial decisions, including the Club World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo's suspended sentence, and Lionel Messi escaping a red card against Algeria, as evidence that FIFA's decisions are influenced by popularity and power.
England's Potential Grievance
Burley also suggested that England may have grounds to question FIFA's consistency after defender Jarell Quansah was sent off in the same match against Mexico. "England are going to be well within their rights to ask what the decision is going to be on the right back who was sent off this evening," he said.
