The European Commission on Monday underlined the need for decisions in sport to be taken on the basis of objective and transparent criteria and without political interference, after the revocation of the suspension of American international Folarin Balogun, which followed a telephone call between US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Commission declines to comment on specific case
During the Commission's midday briefing, spokesperson for sport Eva Hrncirova avoided taking a position on the specific case, insisting that the Commission does not comment on individual decisions by sporting bodies. She did, however, set out clearly the Commission's position on the principles that should govern sports governance.
"We respect the autonomy of sport and we respect the right of sports federations to decide on the criteria under which participants compete," she said. She underlined that "any such decision should, obviously, be taken on the basis of objective and transparent criteria", adding that "the European Union supports the principle of fair play and transparent competition".
The background
The Commission's intervention came after the strong reactions triggered by FIFA's decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban imposed on Balogun following his red card in the United States' match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 of the World Cup. The dismissal meant the American forward would normally miss Monday night's round of 16 clash against Belgium.
However, after the telephone call between Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, the ban was suspended, allowing the player to compete. FIFA, for its part, did not confirm that the call influenced the decision, reiterating that the case was examined by an independent disciplinary committee, which decided to suspend the application of the penalty for one match.
EU Sports Commissioner: FIFA "took the wrong decision"
European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef was even sharper, warning in a post that the involvement of political figures in sporting decisions threatens the independence of sports institutions. "Decisions on sporting rules and sporting matters belong to sports bodies and not to politicians," he noted. He added that "exerting influence on sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport", expressing the view that FIFA "took the wrong decision". According to the Commissioner, attention should be focused "on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the instrumentalisation of sport for political purposes".
UEFA: "A red line was crossed"
UEFA's reaction was particularly harsh, with the European federation speaking in an official announcement of a decision that "crossed the red line". According to UEFA, "football, like every sport, is based on rules which form the foundation of fair, honest and transparent competition". On the automatic one-match ban following a red card, UEFA notes that it "is not a matter of discretion nor does it require a new decision to take effect".
It further warned that "when the certainty of the rules is not safeguarded by their guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of the competition is undermined", noting that the decision sets a precedent for the remainder of the World Cup, as similar cases will now have to be treated in the same way. UEFA concluded by expressing its "surprise" and "disbelief" at an "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified decision", with clear barbs at the way FIFA handled the case.
Belgium examining legal options
The Belgian Football Association had earlier issued its own strongly worded announcement, speaking of a decision that contravenes both the Disciplinary Code and the competition regulations. The Belgians said they are examining all available legal options, declaring themselves "shocked by FIFA's decision to declare the suspended player Folarin Balogun eligible to play in the USA-Belgium match". They cited both the FIFA Disciplinary Code and the World Cup 2026 competition regulations, which clearly state that "if a player or team official is sent off as a result of a red card or two yellow cards, they shall automatically be suspended for the next match".
Kick-off for USA-Belgium is expected, barring the unforeseen, at 03:00 Tuesday, Cyprus time.
