European soccer body: FIFA reversal after Trump call ‘incomprehensible’

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The Union of European Football Leagues (UEFA) on Monday slammed FIFA’s decision to reverse a one-game suspension for Team USA’s Folarin Balogun after President Trump made a call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

UEFA, commonly known as the Europa Leagues, said the decision “crossed a red-line.”

“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” UEFA said in a statement on its website.

“Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not,” UEFA added in the statement.

UEFA said the automatic one-match suspension for a red card is not a “discretionary option” but rather “a principle embedded in regulations,” noting that individual players or teams cannot be subject to exceptions while citing several other players who served their suspension.

Qatar’s Assim Madibom, for example, received a five-match ban after breaking the leg of Canada midfielder Ismaël Koné at the FIFA World Cup.

However, other players including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo served a one-game suspension but received a two-match deferred ban to allow him to play in a World Cup qualifier.

Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi and Ecuadoran midfielder Moisés Caicedo were also granted similar deferrals.

Balogun received a red card for a controversial tackle on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic during the round of 32 match.

Muharemovic was not severely injured and FIFA ultimately determined that Balgun under Article 27 of its disciplinary code would have the red-card ban suspended and instead be placed on a one-year probationary period.

Balogun would only serve the ban if he gets another similar red card within the next year.

The Belgian football association said it was “astonished” by the reversal in a statement Sunday.

“It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said Sunday, according to The Associated Press.

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Donald Trump

FIFA World Cup

Folarin Balogun

Gianni Infantino

Trump administration

UEFA

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