This is the English version of an article published in Dutch by François Colin on the Balogun affair on this website.
Even before kick-off between the US and Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle, football fans are left with a bad taste in their mouths. FIFA has taken sides before a ball has even been kicked and, above all, has flouted its own rules. Political interference is strictly prohibited by the world football’s governing body. The US Soccer Federation should have been suspended.
Thomas Tuchel, speaking after England’s heroic battle against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium (2–3), summed up the absurdity of the situation: “Balogun didn’t deserve a red card. The VAR intervened and a decision was made. Who overrules this decision? When? And on what basis? I want consistency. Declan Rice didn’t deserve a yellow card. Michael Olise didn’t deserve a yellow card. Where does this start and, above all, where does it end? Should we lodge an appeal against Quansah’s red card? Or should Harry Kane give Donald Trump a call?”
How could the United States stoop so low as to pressure FIFA? And how could FIFA be so foolish as to give in to a phone call from the White House regarding the red card shown to Folarin Balogun? This goes against everything FIFA has claimed to stand for over the past 122 years. “No political interference” has long been the guiding principle in Zurich. FIFA’s leaders have insisted for decades that they are above politics. Dozens of national football associations have been suspended because governments interfered in the running of their federations.
As recently as last year, Nepal was suspended because politicians had interfered with football. Haiti was not even allowed to wear a shirt paying tribute to its own independence at this World Cup. Too political. If there is one principle FIFA has consistently enforced over the years, it is the prohibition of political interference in sport.
Except during this World Cup. Iran was allowed to set foot on American soil only briefly to play football. A Somali referee was denied a visa, as were a number of supporters. Then Donald Trump rang Gianni Infantino. Beyond shame. The US Soccer Federation should have been suspended, with Team USA consequently excluded from the tournament.
The irony is striking. Trump is standing up for Balogun, a player who is eligible to represent the United States because he happened to be born there. His parents are Nigerian, and he has lived in England for virtually his entire life. He was born in Brooklyn because his mother, while visiting New York, was prevented from boarding her flight back to London after doctors feared she might give birth while flying to London. Folarin was born two months prematurely in the United States. He is a textbook example of birthright citizenship: someone who is American solely because he was born on American soil.
Ironically, Donald Trump has spent years campaigning against birthright citizenship. Only last week he was definitively rebuffed by the Supreme Court. Yet now he has come to the defence of someone who, according to his own political convictions, should not qualify as American.
Cowards
For the president of a host nation to interfere in FIFA affairs is unheard of. Imagine if Vladimir Putin had done this during the 2018 World Cup. All hell would have broken loose on the other side of the Atlantic.
This intervention is not entirely unprecedented. Comparable incidents occurred in 1962 with Garrincha, before the 2014 World Cup in the case of Laurent Koscielny, and before this World Cup involving Cristiano Ronaldo. Three cases in almost a century.
The affair demonstrates just how much importance Trump attaches to the outcome of this World Cup. It also exposes what a coward Gianni Infantino is. This is grist to the mill for Fairsquare, the human rights organisation that intends to lodge an official complaint against the FIFA president in September. Neither FIFA nor the United States should be allowed to get away with this.
Infantino is due to stand for re-election soon. Will the Belgian Football Association once again vote for this scoundrel? And where is the protest from the other European associations? What a bunch of cowards. Not a single federation should support his re-election. Unfortunately, the protest will probably be limited to Norway.
In my view, Balogun did not deserve a red card against Bosnia, but he did endanger his opponent’s physical integrity. The VAR’s decision, subsequently confirmed by the referee, was therefore entirely justifiable. If this decision can be overturned after the event, then every controversial dismissal in every league can – and indeed must – be reviewed retrospectively every single week.
The strange aspect is that the punishment itself has not been overturned. Instead, the suspension has merely been suspended.
Injustice
The Belgian Football Association has reacted with dignity and restraint. It had to lodge an appeal, even if it is unlikely to change anything. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne normally requires around 48 hours to deal with such cases. Was that why FIFA only announced its decision on the eve of the match? The question remains whether the Belgian FA can still take the matter to Lausanne after the tournament.
Yet, as in 1974 against Poland, Belgium is not beaten before kick-off. It may even be that the Red Devils take to the field tonight with greater self-belief than ever before. They occupy the moral high ground. The Americans, by contrast, have displayed remarkable insecurity. FIFA’s conduct should only strengthen the Belgian team. If, after so much injustice, you are not one thousand per cent motivated and focused, then something is seriously wrong.
The American players are professionals and they know the rules. They know this situation is unfair. Will it affect them? And how will the American public – traditionally so attached to sporting integrity – react? Especially in Seattle, where Trump is deeply unpopular.
The Red Devils should not lose any sleep over Balogun. The Monaco striker is an excellent player, but he is no Messi or Kane. Only a few months ago Belgium defeated the United States 5–2 in a friendly in Atlanta – a US side that included Balogun.
Guantanamo
The major question now concerns the referee from Jordan, a man unaccustomed to officiating a match of this magnitude. How else can he interpret this episode than as interference from his superiors at FIFA in favour of the host nation? Is it really so far-fetched to imagine that he might feel pressure from above? It may sound absurd, but with that orange clown in the White House, almost anything seems possible.
PS: The reaction of Norwegian national team manager Ståle Solbakken after the victory over Brazil was telling: “This is a serious mistake by FIFA. The player was shown a red card. That means you miss one match. What is really sad is that whenever the US beats Belgium, something like this will always be remembered.
“The Belgians will be furious. What happens after the next red card? Will some committee overturn that one as well? This is a bad, bad, bad decision. A decision that will damage both the World Cup and the United States.”
