Sepp Blatter questions Fifa over the Balogun case

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July 6, 2026July 6, 2026By Mario Vásquez
Sepp Blatter questions Fifa over the Balogun case

Former Fifa president Joseph Blatter stated that “red cards are not canceled by calls.” political telephone calls” and questioned the direction of the organization after the decision to rescind the expulsion of American forward Folarin Balogunwho will be able to play this Monday against Belgium in the round of 16.

“They are overridden by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a president of the United States intervenes with the president of FIFA – and a player is suddenly acquitted before a knockout match in the World Cup – the question is inevitable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power,” Blatter said.

As revealed by The New York Times, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, called the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, to request a review of the sanction imposed on the player. In a move described as “highly unusual”, the striker was cleared to play in the decisive match against Belgium.

Blatter, who chaired the FIFA between 1998 and 2015, spread its position on social networks accompanied by the hashtags #FIFA, #WorldCup, #GianniInfantino and #DonaldTrump.

Folarin Balogun had been sent off last Wednesday in the round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, after the VAR review of a stomp on Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle, which in principle prevented him from playing the next match. However, FIFA later announced the lifting of the sanction.

The organization explained that it applied ex officio article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which allows the suspension of the execution of a sanction previously imposed by decision of the Disciplinary Committee.

The measure has generated various reactions internationally. UEFA, for example, described it as “unheard of, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and warned that the integrity and credibility of the competition are compromised when the rules are not respected.

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