UEFA on Monday condemned FIFA’s decision to suspend the implementation of U.S. forward Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban at the World Cup, saying the move undermined the integrity and credibility of the competition.
The European governing body’s criticism followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s request that FIFA review Balogun’s red card after the striker was sent off in the United States’ round-of-32 victory over Bosnia.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision,” UEFA said in a statement.
“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.”
Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.
Balogun, who has scored three goals at the tournament, was shown a red card following a VAR review for dragging his studs down the back of defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg and onto his foot.
The dismissal would ordinarily have ruled him out of Monday’s last-16 match against Belgium.
After Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the incident, FIFA suspended the implementation of Balogun’s automatic suspension for a one-year probationary period while leaving the red card itself in place.
The decision has drawn criticism over FIFA’s disciplinary process.
The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) said it was “astonished” by the ruling, while The Athletic reported that the federation had lodged an appeal with FIFA.
