CORNERFLICK
UEFA has issued a strongly worded rebuke of FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, calling the move unprecedented and unjustifiable.
Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina after VAR intervened and the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor. FIFA later suspended the punishment on a one-year trial basis, allowing the 25-year-old to play in the United States’ last-16 tie against Belgium if he avoids a similar offence during that period.
UEFA said the ruling breaks a basic principle of the competition: that a red card automatically brings at least one match of suspension. It warned that creating exceptions could damage the integrity of the tournament and set a precedent for future cases.
The row has already drawn criticism from former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who questioned the independence of the decision in a post on X. His comments came after Donald Trump thanked FIFA for what he described as a correction of a major injustice.