Report Says Single FIFA Disciplinary Official Handled Balogun Suspension after Trump Call
A report indicates that FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman Mohammad al-Kamali alone decided U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension, following a phone call from former President Donald Trump to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
A recent report claims that the decision on U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-game suspension for the World Cup round-of-16 match against Belgium was made by a single FIFA Disciplinary Committee member. The report, citing Times of London journalist Martyn Ziegler, says chairman Mohammad al-Kamali of the United Arab Emirates acted without input from the committee's other 17 members.
Gianni Infantino issued a statement emphasizing that FIFA's judicial bodies operate independently, which the report suggests may have been intended to convey a collective decision. Ziegler notes that while many disciplinary rulings involve multiple members, important cases often include three members, and single-member decisions are usually handled by deputy chairman Jorge Palacio of Colombia.
The report argues that the involvement of only one official does not necessarily reduce the risk of external influence, implying that former President Donald Trump's call to Infantino could have indirectly affected al-Kamali's ruling. The United States lost the match 4-1 to Belgium, ending the immediate relevance of the suspension but raising questions about procedural transparency in FIFA's disciplinary process.