FIFA criticized for decision to lift U.S. star’s red card suspension following Trump phone call

FIFA is being criticized over its decision to lift the red card suspension for leading U.S. Men’s National Team scorer Folarin Balogun, allowing him to play against Belgium on Monday.

The Union of European Football Associations, Europe’s soccer governing body, said FIFA “crossed a red line,” and expressed its “disbelief” at a decision it called “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”

“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined,” the governing body said in a statement. “[Soccer] is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws.”

Sources familiar with the matter had told CBS News that Balogun’s reinstatement came after President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension, which would have kept the 25-year-old striker from playing in the round of 16 World Cup match.  

Mr. Trump on Monday said he asked for a review by FIFA “because I didn’t think it was a foul.”

“When they take your best player, or just about, they have some great players … and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair,” the president said in remarks in the Oval Office.

“If they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe among the best on the team, I think it would have left a big stain,” he said.

Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, also spoke to Infantino about the situation, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was in communication with FIFA.

Spokespeople for the White House, Lutnick and Giuliani did not immediately respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

The Royal Belgian Football Association, whose national team will face the U.S. Monday, said it was “astonished” by FIFA’s decision, and added it contradicts FIFA’s own rules.

“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” the body said in a statement. 

Prominent British commentators have expressed similar condemnation.

Wayne Rooney, a former player for Manchester United and England’s national team, called the decision an “absolute disgrace.”

“Infantino should be ashamed of this because I think the sportsmanship of the game is in question here,” Rooney told the BBC on Sunday.

Prominent commentator and former England player Gary Neville said Sunday the decision “absolutely stinks.”

“There should be a review process in place,” he told ITV Sports. “Are we surprised? No, not with this lot,” Neville added.

The European Union’s Commissioner for Sport said he also believed it was the “wrong decision.”

“Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sporting bodies, not politicians. Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport,” Glenn Micallef said in a social media post.

Infantino said Monday in a statement that “FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent.” 

“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. 

“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,” he said. “That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.”

A Belgian source familiar with the matter told CBS News that the Royal Belgian Football Association is appealing, and that the timing of any FIFA decision regarding the appeal remains unclear.  

The Royal Belgian Football Association said Monday it “has no alternative but to challenge the player’s eligibility for the upcoming match,” and it has not “received any decision or any explanation from FIFA” regarding the matter.

It also said it sent a letter to FIFA requesting a copy of the decision and an explanation of the process that was followed. In the letter, the association also expressed “its position regarding the applicable regulations.”

The association said FIFA sent a letter in response, “stating that it considered this correspondence to constitute an appeal, that a judge had been appointed, and that the RBFA had only a few hours to complete that appeal. No information whatsoever was provided by FIFA.”

“For an appeal to be admissible, FIFA’s own regulations state that the reasoned decision must first have been communicated to the appellant,” the association said in a statement. “While the RBFA was merely seeking legitimate explanations, FIFA itself created an appeal and immediately ensured that it would be declared inadmissible.”

CBS News has sought comment from FIFA. 

A European Commission spokesperson, Eva Hrncirova, told reporters Monday that the EU supports “the principle of fair play and transparency in the competition.”