FIFA's Unprecedented Reversal of Folarin Balogun's Red Card: The Full Controversy Explained

Then, the day before the Round of 16 match against Belgium, FIFA reversed course.

Trump's Call to Infantino

Multiple outlets report that President Donald Trump directly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of Balogun's suspension, and that this call played a role in the decision . The Chosun report explicitly states that "Trump's Call Triggers FIFA's Unprecedented Suspension Deferral" . Trump later posted on social media thanking FIFA for "doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!" The Hill, Sportskeeda, and other outlets covered this angle; The New York Times/The Athletic also reported on it .

Article 27: The Rare Rule That Made It Possible

FIFA invoked Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which allows the governing body to suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure . The disciplinary committee placed the ban on a one-year probationary hold — meaning if Balogun commits a similar infraction within one year, the suspension will be enforced at that time . People magazine, CBS Sports, The Guardian, and others confirm the one-year probation detail . This rule had been used before in other contexts, such as a partial suspended ban for Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2026 World Cup , but never to clear a player for a World Cup match after a red card in the prior game.

"First Time Since 1962"

Multiple sources describe this as the first time since 1962 that a player has had a red-card suspension lifted to allow him to play in the next World Cup match . The Chosun report explicitly states FIFA's "unprecedented exception — allowing the player to compete after over 60 years" .

Internal Opposition from FIFA Vice Presidents

The Athletic (NYT) reported that "several FIFA officials" expressed opposition to Infantino's handling of the decision . Sportskeeda and other outlets report that at least three FIFA vice presidents objected to Infantino's decision internally . The Chosun report also references internal dissent over the unprecedented move . The exact number "three" appears in secondary reports; primary FIFA council statements have not been published confirming a specific count.

Belgian Football Association: "Astonished"

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) publicly stated it is "astonished" by FIFA's decision and is "investigating all potential options" . In a formal statement, the RBFA said the ruling "is based on Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code" and that it "believes it has gotten the short end of the stick" . The New York Post, CBS Sports, and Bolavip all quote the RBFA's statement verbatim, noting that Belgium pointed to Article 66.4 of the same Disciplinary Code, which it argued clearly provides that a red card triggers an automatic suspension .

The controversy remains one of the defining storylines of the 2026 World Cup, raising questions about fairness, the role of political influence in sports governance, and the consistency of FIFA's disciplinary procedures.