8 July 2026
The controversy regarding the Folarin Balogun appealed Red Card continues, with dozens of European parliamentarians demanding an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino amid accusations that he succumbed to political pressure from US President Donald Trump. Balogun, a forward for the US national team, was sent off during the US-Bosnia and Herzegovina match in the round of 32, a punishment that would have automatically ruled him out of the round of 16 match against Belgium. However, FIFA's disciplinary committee decided to suspend the ban and instead impose a $40,000 fine, allowing him to participate in the match, which the US team lost 4-1.
The decision came after Trump announced that he had contacted Infantino requesting a review of the red card. This sparked widespread criticism within football and political circles, despite the FIFA president's insistence that the decision was made by the independent disciplinary committee and that he had not interfered in its work.
The initiative within the European Parliament is being led by MEPs Barry Andrews, Lara Walters, and Niels Vogelsang, who have called on European national associations to address FIFA's Ethics Committee to investigate whether US political pressure influenced the decision, as well as to examine any potential violations of the principle of political neutrality within the international federation.
So far, 35 MEPs have signed the letter calling for an investigation.
In their statement, the MEPs emphasized that "the beauty of sport lies in fair and transparent rules, and when political pressure becomes a factor in determining who participates in matches, the integrity of the competition is jeopardized."
They also described the amendment to the application of suspension penalties during the tournament as "a distortion of sporting justice."
These developments come amidst ongoing criticism of FIFA from several European football associations, who believe that the Balogun case has raised serious doubts about the independence of judicial and disciplinary decisions within the international federation.
