Gianni Infantino is facing the biggest crisis of his decade-long reign as Fifa president after Donald Trump admitted he intervened to get Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension overturned for the World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium. The United States lost 4-1 in Seattle, but the damage to football’s governing body may be lasting.
Trump told reporters: “I’m the one that got them to do it,” though he said he merely asked for a review. Balogun, the US star and three-goal tournament top scorer, had been sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina and should have missed the Belgium match under Fifa rules that prohibit appeals against red cards. Yet the suspension was cancelled before the game, prompting Belgium’s appeal to be thrown out.
“Infantino faces calls to resign after Trump admitted intervening to overturn Balogun's red card at the World Cup.”
Infantino insisted the disciplinary committee was independent and rejected any suggestion of political interference. But the timing and the relationship between the two men – Trump was awarded the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize and calls Infantino his friend – have fuelled outrage. Fifa’s statutes explicitly ban government meddling in national associations, with Nepal suspended last month for third-party interference. “This is our sport, not theirs,” said former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. “If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question.”
European football’s governing body, Uefa, said the decision had “crossed a red line”. In a statement, it argued that a minimum automatic suspension following a red card “cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension”.
Despite calls for him to resign, Infantino has declared he will stand for re-election next year. Speaking in April, the 56-year-old said: “I’m honoured and humbled… I want to confirm to you that I will be a candidate for the election of Fifa president next year.” If he wins, his reign would extend to 2031, when term limits would bar him from running again. His popularity in Africa and South America means he is likely to survive the current crisis, even as European critics demand change.
Fifa released an 871-word statement that shed little light on the decision. The question remains: will the rules that apply to Pakistan and Nepal be enforced when the president’s friend is involved?