FIFA face official complaint over Balogun suspension saga: 'This will not be swept under the carpet'

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FT Desk

Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness plans to press ahead with an official complaint to FIFA's ethics committee over the handling of the Folarin Balogun saga during the 2026 World Cup.

During the United States match against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Balogun was shown a straight red card by the referee after VAR intervened to look at the striker's challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. The subsequent suspension would have ruled him out of the USMNT's next fixture, a Round of 16 tie against Belgium.

However, remarkably, FIFA intervened and overturned the suspension to allow him to play - something that has never happened in the history of the World Cup. It was later revealed by US President Donald Trump himself that he personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to look into the matter.

Infantino eventually distanced himself from the decision, saying it was that of a FIFA Disciplinary Committee, but as the leader of the organisation, he has not been able to shield himself from criticism.

Klaveness told The Times: “When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk. It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game.

“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process.

“We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.

“If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behaviour and the organisation’s behaviour, and also the red line of what states’ leaders should interfere with. And that happened.”

The NFF President added: “When you make controversial decisions, and when there has been an external, very powerful voice in your ear, it’s very important that you have more voices [making the decision]. And if you don’t, it’s a mistake.

“This case was so serious and so worrying that I hope that it might contribute to bring people out a little bit and don’t fear to bring up cases. I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss with my board, and then we do it. To me, it should be in the same sphere of ethical complaint.”

Klaveness said she is “disappointed but not necessarily surprised” about FIFA's lack of communication or acknowledgement of the issues that came with the decision to overturn the suspension.

“To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly,” she continued. “Too many felt this … coaches, players, fans … that this was too close to the game.”

The United States went on to lose the match to Belgium anyway, being eliminated as co-hosts in the last 16.

As well as this official complaint from the Norwegian FA, Infantino may also be investigated by the European Court of the decision and his increasingly close relationship with Trump as FIFA is supposed to be a politically neutral organisation.

Norway’s football federation previously called for the FIFA 'Peace Prize' award to be scrapped as it is in breach of the organisation's stance on political neutrality.

At the World Cup group stage draw in December, Trump was awarded the inaugural prize by Infantino.

It was viewed by many as a way simply to stroke Trump's ego as the president of one of the World Cup host nations rather than an award with true gravitas.

After receiving the award, Trump ordered military action in Venezuela and Nigeria, among others, and instigated a war in the Middle East with Iran.

Klaveness previously said of the 'Peace Prize': “We want to see it abolished. We don’t think it’s part of FIFA’s mandate to give such a prize. We have a Nobel Institute that does that job independently already. This peace prize given at the [World Cup] draw in Washington was a breach of FIFA’s own statutes of political neutrality and there was a lack of legal process within FIFA.

“It’s important for FIFA’s federations, confederations and also FIFA itself to try to avoid situations where this arm’s-length distance to state leaders is challenged. And these prizes will typically be very political if you don’t have really good instruments and experiments and experience to make this independent and to have a jury and criteria. That is full-time work. It’s so sensitive.

“From a resource angle, from a mandate angle, and most importantly from a governance angle, it should be avoided in the future.”