Norwegian FA president seeks ethics complaint over FIFA reversal of US striker's suspension
Lise Klaveness, head of Norway's football federation, will ask her board to file an ethics complaint with FIFA over the overturn of Folarin Balogun's World Cup red-card ban, citing external political pressure.
Norway’s football federation president Lise Klaveness said she will request that the board lodge a formal ethics complaint with FIFA concerning the reversal of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension from the World Cup. Klaveness told The Times that she wants FIFA president Gianni Infantino to acknowledge the reversal as an error and to investigate the influence of external pressure on the decision.
Balogun received a red card for stepping on an opponent’s ankle in the United States’ round-of-32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina and was initially banned for the next game. FIFA later rescinded the ban, allowing him to play in the round-of-16 loss to Belgium. The governing body cited Article 27 of its disciplinary code, which permits partial suspension of disciplinary measures, after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly contacted Infantino.
Klaveness criticized the process, noting that the overturn was decided by a single member of the FIFA disciplinary committee, Mohammad Al Kamali, and that “when there has been an external, very powerful voice in your ear, it’s very important you have more voices making the decision.” She warned that bending rules under political influence could jeopardize the integrity of the sport.