Balogun Speaks Out as FairSquare Takes Infantino Row to the IOC
Folarin Balogun has said he knew his overturned World Cup suspension would “cause a lot of controversy” even as he welcomed being reinstated to the United States squad — and the fallout from that decision continues to grow.
According to The Guardian, the Monaco striker was shown a red card during the USA’s round-of-32 clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. Fifa’s disciplinary committee subsequently suspended the one-match ban for a year, meaning Balogun was free to play in the Americans’ last-16 exit at the hands of Belgium.
Speaking to CBS, the former Arsenal academy player said his initial reaction was relief at being back in the squad, but that he quickly sensed unease among his teammates. “I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it’s something that is so unique,” he said. He added that outside noise made it difficult to focus in the build-up to the Belgium match.
Balogun himself continues to dispute the original red card, insisting the challenge was not intentional and should never have resulted in a dismissal.
The controversy has escalated well beyond the touchline. Donald Trump admitted he personally lobbied for Balogun’s ban to be overturned, as the USA are co-hosts of the World Cup 2026. On Tuesday, human rights nonprofit FairSquare submitted a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee, alleging that Fifa president Gianni Infantino — who became an IOC member in 2020 — breached the Olympic Charter’s political neutrality rules through his conduct in the Balogun affair.
FairSquare’s complaint identifies five alleged breaches of IOC rules, with the Balogun case cited as the most recent example. The group filed a similar complaint with Fifa’s own ethics committee back in December, but says it has received no meaningful response beyond an acknowledgement. The Norwegian football federation subsequently wrote to Fifa’s ethics committee requesting it consider the matter, and 50 members of the European Parliament wrote to the same body on 29 June urging action.
Adding further weight to concerns around process, The Times has reported that disciplinary committee chair Mohammad Al Kamali took the decision to suspend Balogun’s ban entirely on his own — something that has no precedent in previously published Fifa disciplinary cases.
Fifa has offered no explanation for why the ban was suspended. Both Fifa and the IOC were contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of publication.
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