The controversy over the decision to overturn USA striker Folarin Balogun's red card at the World Cup continues, with Norway preparing to take a stand against FIFA.
Norway's Formal Complaint
FIFA have been urged to admit wrongdoing over the decision to overturn Balogun's red card, with Norway set to make a formal complaint. US President Donald Trump admitted interfering in the process, which saw Balogun able to play for the United States against Belgium in the last 16, despite being sent off in their win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the previous round.
Trump praised FIFA for "reversing a great injustice", but his involvement led to accusations that world football's governing body had breached its political neutrality rules. The US President called FIFA president Gianni Infantino personally to discuss the issue - something Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, says shouldn't have happened.
Klaveness's Concerns
Klaveness has previously complained about FIFA giving its inaugural Peace Prize award to Trump and says the Balogun incident is "so serious and so worrying". “To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly,” she said.
Klaveness told The Times: “When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk. It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game. First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process. We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error. If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behaviour and the organisation’s behaviour, and also the red line of what states’ leaders should interfere with. And that happened.”
Next Steps
If she receives the backing of her board, Klaveness plans to add the Balogun example to her complaint about the Peace Prize. If everything goes ahead, it will go to FIFA's independent ethics committee to investigate any potential breaches.
It has been reported that the decision to overturn Balogun's suspension was taken by the chairman of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali, without consultation of the other committee members.
Infantino was forced to issue a statement explaining FIFA's process and his discussion with Trump during the fallout. "FIFA's judicial bodies are independent," he said. "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, and this must always be respected."
"All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say, you have to do this," Trump explained at the time. "This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He's a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he has done has been great. I feel like we have to have all the best players on the field."
