Gary Neville has condemned Fifa’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card, calling it “absolutely stinks” after the US striker was cleared to face Belgium in the World Cup last 16. The controversy erupted on Sunday when Fifa’s disciplinary committee applied article 27 of its disciplinary code to overturn the ban, meaning Balogun will only serve his one-game suspension if he commits a similar offence in the next 12 months.
Balogun was sent off during the US’s 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32 after accidentally catching defender Tarik Muharemovic. The US did not appeal the decision, accepting that the only debate was over the length of the ban.
“Gary Neville says Fifa's suspension of Folarin Balogun's red card 'absolutely stinks' after US striker cleared for World Cup clash against Belgium.”
News of the suspension prompted an immediate reaction from Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!” But Belgium’s FA said it was “astonished” and would be “investigating all potential options” in response.
Speaking on ITV ahead of Brazil’s match against Norway, Neville was scathing. “It absolutely stinks,” he said. “Let’s be really clear. But what I would say is the thing that stinks the most is there should be a review process in place. I actually didn't think it was a red card, and I think there should be a process which allows it to be overturned. But if there’s no process for it to be overturned, and then somehow Fifa from nowhere have just decided to basically let a player play, and the rules [should be] the same for everybody. I would be absolutely raging if I was Belgium, and every other team in the tournament that’s had a player sent off that might think it’s been a little bit hard done to. And do you know something, are we surprised? No, not with this lot.”
The decision echoes a similar controversy before the tournament, when Cristiano Ronaldo had a red card suspended, allowing him to play in Portugal’s opening game.
Ian Wright said: “We’re talking about integrity, people talking about transparency, but you look at some of the things that's happened in this tournament with certain teams, it’s been it's shameful how things can happen, especially as an American player, whether he’s guilty of what he’s done, whether we think he shouldn’t have got it or not. Some of the things that’s happened in this World Cup have been shameful.”
Roy Keane added: “It seems unfair because it is unfair. It seems like a bit of a pals’ act, shall we say.”
The Sun described the move as “the most SHAMEFUL decision in World Cup history”, arguing that Fifa’s integrity had gone and that the rulebook has been torn up at the apparent behest of the White House. The disciplinary code’s sub-clause, which was used for the first time in such circumstances, has never been deployed this way before.