Telephone law: why FIFA’s decision on Balogan caused a scandal in the European Parliament

After the call Donald Trump Gianni Infantino FIFA suspends automatic disqualification of Folarin Balogan. Now MEPs are demanding an investigation into possible political pressure on the football federation.

The scandal surrounding American forward Folarin Balogan became one of the most notorious episodes of the 2026 World Cup. US President Donald Trump has publicly admitted that he asked FIFA head Gianni Infantino to review the player’s red card. After this, FIFA unexpectedly suspended the automatic ban, and Balogan was allowed to play against Belgium.

FIFA did not formally cancel the red card. But in practice, it did exactly what the American side wanted: it allowed one of the leaders of the US team to take the field in the 1/8 finals match.

Now a group of European MPs is demanding an investigation into Infantino’s role and to find out whether pressure from the US administration could have influenced the football federation’s decision. According to euronewsletter to national football associations of countries EU signed by about 35 members of the European Parliament.

How the scandal began

Balogan received a straight red card in the USA’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After a VAR check, referee Rafael Klaus saw that the American striker had stepped on the ankle of defender Tarik Muharemovich.

According to the usual procedure, such a red card resulted in automatic disqualification for the next match. This meant that Balogan had to miss the meeting with Belgium in the round of 16 of the World Cup.

But then Donald Trump intervened in the story.

The US President confirmed that he personally contacted Gianni Infantino and asked him to reconsider the decision. Trump said he did not consider the episode a violation and called the removal unfair. Reuters reported that contact between Trump and Infantino actually took place before FIFA’s decision on disqualification.

Trump himself then publicly thanked FIFA for the fact that the organization, in his words, “corrected a great injustice.”

What FIFA did

FIFA did not overturn the red card and did not recognize the referee’s decision as erroneous. Instead, the disciplinary authority applied Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

This article allows you to suspend the execution of a sanction in whole or in part. In Balogan’s case, the automatic one-match ban was converted into a one-year probationary period.

That is, the punishment formally remains. But Balogan did not have to serve it immediately. He got the opportunity to take the field against Belgium at a time when the US team was in particular need of a starting forward.

Reuters noted that Article 27 gives FIFA’s disciplinary bodies wide scope for such a decision, but does not contain clear criteria for when exactly a sanction can be suspended. Analysis of Article 27.

That is why the scandal does not boil down to the question of whether FIFA had the legal opportunity to apply this mechanism. I had. The main question is different: why this rare and beneficial mechanism for the United States was used after the direct intervention of the president of the host country of the tournament.

Three calls and one unexpectedly flexible sanction

According to The GuardianTrump made several calls to FIFA, seeking a review of the situation. American officials and representatives of the US football structure also joined the legal work in the Balogan case.

In ordinary football, a red card at the World Cup should not become a subject of negotiations between the presidential administration and the head of the international federation. Otherwise, the disciplinary code looks not like a set of rules, but like a menu with additional options for those who have Infantino’s direct number.

FIFA says its disciplinary bodies are independent and Gianni Infantino was not involved in the decision. Infantino himself also said that the conversation with Trump did not affect the procedure.

But Trump was not calling the chairman of the disciplinary committee or the secretary of regulations. He called the FIFA president. After this, the organization found a legal path that allowed the American forward not to miss a key match.

Reaction from UEFA and Belgium

UEFA called FIFA’s decision unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified. The European Football Organization has indicated that World Cup rules explicitly provide for a player to be automatically suspended following a red card.

The Belgian Football Association demanded an explanation and tried to challenge Balogan’s admission. However, FIFA rejected her application as procedurally inadmissible, pointing out that the Belgian side was not party to the original disciplinary proceedings.

According to Reutersthe Belgian federation also stated that FIFA did not provide it with sufficient explanations and documents regarding the case.

The final of the football part of the story turned out to be almost mocking: the USA still lost to Belgium with a score of 1:4 and were eliminated from the tournament. But the American defeat did not cancel the question of equality of rules.

Why did MEPs intervene?

A group of members of the European Parliament is demanding a review of whether Infantino violated FIFA norms on political neutrality, the independence of disciplinary bodies and the protection of fair competition.

The authors of the letter ask national associations of EU countries to initiate an official investigation. Their position is simple: if a head of state publicly seeks a review of a sanction against his national team player, and FIFA then uses a rare legal procedure, this is enough to verify.

We are not yet talking about a proven crime or established violation on the part of Infantino. But the set of facts itself already looks toxic for FIFA:

• Balogan received a red card and automatic disqualification;
• Trump reached out to Infantino personally;
• FIFA suspended enforcement of the sanction;
• Belgium protested;
• UEFA came out with harsh criticism;
• MEPs demand an investigation.

It is already difficult to hide this behind the wording “independent disciplinary body”. Too many people saw the order of events.

FIFA responds with accusations of hypocrisy

In response, FIFA launched a counterattack and accused UEFA of double standards. The federation said that European leagues and organizations also use mechanisms for deferring or conditional execution of disciplinary sanctions.

This line of defense is partly correct: football does have suspended sentences, suspensions and appeal procedures. But in this particular case, the problem is not so much in Article 27 itself, but in the context of its application.

If this had been a simple disciplinary dispute without the White House involved, the story would have remained inside the football legal offices. But when the US President openly reports the call to the head of FIFA, and then gets the desired result, the matter ceases to be ordinary.

Reuters video outlining the situation and footage illustrating the scandal

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The Internet is flooded with satirical videos: – I actually don’t think it was a defeat. Four goals? What four goals? No, Gianni, it’s more like a draw. Or even for our minimal victory, if… these four goals are removed somewhere. Think, Gianni, what can be done here. What if I invade Belgium? Then we will obviously be credited with victory, no? To be honest, I’m not sure they even have an army.

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This has already happened…

Fun fact. During the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy, Duce Benito Mussolini personally appointed the arbitratorswho were to referee matches involving the Italian team. Moreover, the day before he organized a banquet for them.

In the quarter-finals with the Spaniards, Belgian referee Louis Barth “let play” to such an extent that the Spanish national team goalkeeper had his ribs broken. The match ended in a draw, so a replay was scheduled. It was refereed by the Swiss Rene Merce, who disallowed two Spanish goals.

In the semi-final against Austria, referee Ivan Eklind first gave Mussolini a fascist salute, and then counted Italy’s goal when the ball was pushed into the goal along with the Austrian goalkeeper. The work of the judge impressed Mussolini so much that he appointed Eklind to the final. In the final, Eklind missed the right penalty against the Italians. Needless to say, in the end the Italian team won and became the world champion.

The main question

The Balogan scandal is not about whether the player deserved a red card. It’s about whether the rules apply the same to everyone.

FIFA can attribute the decision to the independence of disciplinary bodies and the legal basis of Article 27 as much as it likes. But after Trump’s admission, UEFA’s reaction, Belgium’s protest and the appeal of MEPs, international football will have to answer an unpleasant question: can the host country of the World Cup receive an exception where any other participant would receive an automatic disqualification.

So far, FIFA’s response appears to be too convenient for the US and too vague for everyone else.

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