Updated by Faith Barbara at 1206 EAT on Tuesday 7 July 2026

The former player said he understood the rules around disciplinary bans but criticised the decision to suspend the punishment, calling it unfair.

“I know it’s UEFA, but I received a three-game ban before Euro 2012. I was due to miss all three group matches, but I was told that if I travelled to Switzerland and took part in a training session with a group of children, one of the matches would be removed from the suspension,” he said.

“I agreed because I didn’t want to serve a three-game ban, but I still felt the decision was wrong.”

He questioned the decision to suspend the punishment for a year instead of overturning the red card, arguing that the player should either be cleared to play or serve the appropriate sanction.

“For this to be suspended, they either need to take the red card away — which is probably the right decision — and then he can play. But to suspend it for a year? I think it’s an absolute disgrace. Infantino should be ashamed of this,” he added.

The former player also warned that the decision could raise questions about fairness and sportsmanship in football.

“The sportsmanship of this game is in question. If I were USA’s opponent, I would be absolutely furious. It’s wrong in every way,” he said.

Countries have regularly been suspended from international football because of government involvement in their national football associations. Pakistan, for example, has been suspended three times in the space of eight years.

But when it comes to Fifa president Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump, are the rules being applied differently?
The World Cup draw ceremony, during which Trump was awarded the inaugural Fifa Peace Prize, appeared to mark the culmination of a two-year period in which Infantino had built a close relationship with the US president.

“Mr President, you can always count on my support, and on the support of the entire football community, to help you make peace and make the world prosper all over the world,” Infantino said while presenting the award.

Human rights campaign group FairSquare later submitted a complaint to Fifa’s ethics committee, arguing that Infantino had breached the organisation’s rules on political neutrality by creating the award.
After receiving no response, 50 Members of the European Parliament sent a further letter to the ethics committee last month demanding action. As has happened in many previous Fifa controversies, there has been no public response.

Fast-forward to the tournament, and while Trump had not attended a single World Cup match, he was publicly involved in the situation surrounding the red card issued to USA player Balogun. It was another moment in which football appeared to take a back seat.

A similar controversy emerged involving Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry into the United States by immigration officials. Infantino faced accusations that he had lost control of aspects of his own tournament. When questioned by journalists last month — his first media appearance in more than three years — his response was criticised as dismissive.

“Just, you know, chill, relax,” Infantino said when asked about Artan’s situation.
Throughout the tournament, controversy has appeared never far away, with a sense that deeper issues were developing beneath the surface.

Yet amid the criticism, there have been few explanations or signs of transparency from Fifa.

A recent example came when Fifa spent five hours in uncertainty over England’s last-16 tie against Mexico, first announcing a change to the kick-off time before reversing the decision while insisting no change had been made.

The Balogun situation has followed a similar pattern: a decision announced without a clear explanation, leaving football simply expected to accept it.

-BBC

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