Even with the United States eliminated from the World Cup, the fallout from FIFA’s decision to suspend the match ban for Folarin Balogun has continued, as new details have emerged about how the FIFA Disciplinary Committee reached its decision.
The committee chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali of the United Arab Emirates, made the call on his own without any of the other 17 members being asked for input, according to a report by The Times.
The new revelation only adds to the outcry over the decision and raises more questions as to why it was made in the first place.
Balogun, who had been one of the U.S. men’s national team’s best players in the World Cup, ended up not having a significant impact in the Americans’ embarrassing 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16.
The U.S. star had been given a red card for a controversial play in the United States’ win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, which resulted in an automatic suspension for the following match in the tournament.
Kamali was the one who gave him the one-match ban and then deferred it for a probationary period of one year, allowing Balogun to play in the quarterfinals against Belgium.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman refused to answer questions when he was approached by the BBC over the weekend, keeping his head down and just walking as a reporter and cameraman with the outlet tried to get him to answer.
FIFA has not commented on the new reporting by The Times.
The decision to lift the automatic one-match ban started a ripple among other nations and fans, and only grew after President Donald Trump told reporters that he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the initial red card.
Trump had said that he asked Infantino to review the red card but, “didn’t tell him what to do.”
“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, 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 on many different issues,” Infantino said in a statement addressing the matter. “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.”
Infantino is facing an ethics complaint over the issue and Trump’s potential involvement.
