FIFA to change rules to avoid Balogun repeat after World Cup scandal

FIFA are set to rewrite the rules that controversially saw USA striker Folarin Balogun avoid a World Cup ban this summer. The former Arsenal star was infamously sent off in his nation’s victory against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

And with that, he was handed an automatic ban that would have seen the forward miss the USA’s quarter-final clash with Belgium. But following a phone call between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump, that ban was suspended which allowed Balogun to play a part in the game.

That decision triggered significant backlash from supporters - as well as the Belgian FA, who were set to complain to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And it appears that FIFA are keen to avoid a repeat by tweaking their rulebook.

According to reports, Infantino will chair the first session of the 37-member FIFA council over the coming days and the subject right at the top of the agenda will be a motion to avoid similar situations.

Get our comprehensive football coverage, with news, updates, opinions, analysis and everything that matters to you, straight to your inbox.

To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two:

1. Head THIS WAY

Make sure you don't miss sport's biggest stories and breaking news by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources.

Should the motion go through, it would see a ban suspended only if the wrong player is sent off. A briefing document from FIFA read: “There was never a doubt nor lack of clarity on how the automatic suspension following a red card is to be served. This is a way for FIFA to cure the handling of the Balogun case during the World Cup.”

Infantino previously spoke out on the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban - and claimed that the decision was not his to make.

A statement in the summer read: “I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”