Norway coach: FIFA reversal after Trump call ‘hurts’ World Cup

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The coach of the Norwegian men’s soccer team on Sunday called the decision by FIFA to reverse the one-game suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun a “big mistake” and a negative development for the sport.

“I have to be honest, I think that’s a big mistake by FIFA. I think it’s not a great conclusion,” Ståle Solbakken told reporters after his team’s 2-1 victory in the FIFA World Cup’s round of 16 over Brazil.

Balogun received a red card after officials used instant replay to review a play in question during the U.S. team’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday. That triggered an automatic one-game suspension under FIFA policy for Balogun, who leads the U.S. with three goals scored in the tournament.

After the game, President Trump reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding Balogun’s suspension, which Trump confirmed on Monday morning in the Oval Office.

In allowing Balogun to play against Belgium in the U.S. squad’s round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday, FIFA said its disciplinary committee decided the 25-year-old’s suspension would be delayed “for a probationary period of one year.”

On Sunday, Trump praised the move by the association, saying FIFA did “what was right” by “reversing a great injustice.”

“That wasn’t a foul, that wasn’t even an infraction,” Trump said Monday of the play involving Balogun and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović. The president also expressed concern about the use of instant replay to dole out the penalty.

The Royal Belgian Football Association appealed the decision from FIFA, after it said Sunday it was “astonished” by the reversal of Balogun’s suspension.

The USA-Belgium match kicks off at 8 p.m. EDT at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Prior to the tournament, Infantino aligned himself closely with the president, awarding Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December.

It is unclear whether, or how, Trump’s call to Infantino impacted FIFA’s decision. The FIFA president does not sit on the disciplinary committee, which is chaired by Mohammed Al Kamali of the United Arab Emirates and consists of 17 other members, none of whom is American.

There is also precedent for such a reversal, though the last instance in a World Cup happened decades ago. FIFA in November deferred the final two games of a three-match suspension Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo incurred for a red card he received during a World Cup qualifier. That decision allowed Ronaldo to play in this year’s World Cup without interruption.

But Solbakken on Sunday argued FIFA allowing Balogun to play against Belgium will hang “over” the U.S. team if it wins on Monday.

“It will be over [the] United States now, because if they beat Belgium, it will always have that extra thing about it. Yes, maybe he scores a goal, maybe [he] plays a good game, and Belgium will be furious.”

He later asked, “What about the next red card? What happens then? Is there going to be some committee somewhere that is going to take that card away?

“So it’s a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup. I feel also sorry for the United States, because if they win, it will always … hang in the balance. … Not good for the sport. Bad decision by FIFA.”

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