Trump's Balogun ban intervention at World Cup set to spark FIFA ethics complaint

Geneva: US President Donald Trump's intervention in overturning Folarin Balogun's mandatory one-match suspension at the World Cup is set to trigger a formal complaint to FIFA ethics investigators, with the Norway soccer federation considering taking the matter forward.

The Norwegian federation's board of directors is expected to discuss filing the complaint at its next meeting, likely scheduled for August 6.

Norwegian federation president Lise Klaveness said FIFA's leadership must acknowledge that the decision was wrong after Balogun was allowed to feature against Belgium following Trump's intervention with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

"We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error," Klaveness told London daily The Times in an interview published on Thursday.

Balogun had received a red card for a tackle during the United States' match against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which usually would have resulted in a one-game suspension. However, after Trump criticised the decision as a "horrible" call and contacted Infantino, the ban was deferred, allowing Balogun to play in the crucial match against Belgium.

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Belgium went on to defeat the US 4-1 after a dramatic 36-hour period that saw the controversy dominate discussions at the tournament.

"We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process," Klaveness said, describing the FIFA ruling as unprecedented in the past 60 years of World Cups.

"When you bend a rule like this, you're on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk," added Klaveness, a former Norway Women's World Cup player and a member of UEFA's executive committee.

A lawyer and judge, Klaveness has positioned the Norwegian federation as a voice for accountability in world football since taking charge in 2022.

"It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game," she said, referring to the decision not to enforce Balogun's suspension.

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Norway had previously joined a complaint filed by London-based NGO FairSquare with FIFA's ethics committee, alleging that Infantino breached political neutrality rules, including through plans to award Trump a peace prize at the World Cup draw in December.

FairSquare has also submitted a complaint to the International Olympic Committee over the Balogun incident, claiming it violated political neutrality rules. Infantino is an elected IOC member.

FIFA and the IOC rarely comment on ongoing ethics investigations, while the independence of FIFA's ethics process has faced scrutiny since key investigators and judges were replaced in 2017.

FIFA has not yet released documents detailing how its disciplinary judges reached their decision on Balogun's case or other World Cup disciplinary matters. (AP)