FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s ban was one of the biggest controversies of the 2026 World Cup. The U.S striker was sent off during the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun was set to miss the team’s Round of 16 clash against Belgium; however, FIFA suspended the ban on a one-year probationary period under Article 27 of its disciplinary code.
It was later revealed that US President Donald Trump asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s red card. To add fuel to the fire, reports stated that the unprecedented decision to lift Balogun’s automatic ban was taken by just one person – the chairman Mohammad Al Kamali of the UAE, and none of the other members of FIFA’s disciplinary committee was consulted.
The entire controversy invited significant criticism for the FIFA boss Infantino, and even though he denied direct involvement, many questioned FIFA’s handling of the case and the transparency behind the disciplinary process.
Keith Hackett: ‘FIFA Let Themselves Down’
Keith Hackett, ranked among the top 100 referees of all time on a list compiled by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, in an exclusive interview with Sports Now, weighed in on the controversy and said that FIFA let themselves down by allowing Bolagun to play. He was also surprised that FIFA didn’t consult all members of the disciplinary committee before revoking the Balogun ban.
“I think the big talking point of the whole world cup centered around a USA player Balogun having been dismissed like other players in this competition about 14 players have received red cards all have faced the suspension but for some unknown reason Balogun has his suspension delayed we now learn we saw actually the president getting involved and we now learn on social media so it may be subject to further clarification but it appears that only the chairman of the disciplinary committee was the one person that made this decision it didn’t even include the members of the panel for me that that was a talking point.”
“Often I say to referees, once you’ve done the job on the field of play don’t get worried about how the suspension is, whether the suspension goes through or not, but on this occasion, as someone that’s heavily involved in football, I think FIFA let themselves down and let referees and the game down by allowing that delayed suspension.”
Hackett Questions FIFA’s Consistency In Applying The Rules
Hackett’s biggest concern during the FIFA World Cup was the lack of consistency in the application of the rules. He said that every player should be subject to the same disciplinary standards and pointed to other controversial incidents during the tournament, including Lionel Messi’s challenge against Algeria, which many believed warranted a red card.
“I think the challenge where he showed the studs down the calf back of the calf of a player down the Achilles was a red card offence and he should have been dismissed and VAR should have come in and this challenge in my opinion was no different to the challenge of Folarin Balogun the USA player.”
“The rules and regulations, the procedures within the competition are the same for everyone, so if other players have received a red card and it’s not appealed, there’s no appeal in the World Cup, which I think is wrong, then he should have served the same punishment.”
Meanwhile, human rights group FairSquare have filed a complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate whether Gianni Infantino played a role in overturning Folarin Balogun’s World Cup ban.