World Cup country to file official complaint about Donald Trump’s role in the tournament
A World Cup country is planning to officially complain about Donald Trump’s involvement in the tournament, according to a top football official.
Even though Trump only attended one match during the event—where he gave out medals and the World Cup trophy after the final—he still managed to stir up some trouble.
The U.S. President shocked many when he said he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino about Folarin Balogun’s red card. Balogun, a U.S. striker, was sent off during the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Normally, this means a one-match ban, so he should have missed the next game. But FIFA decided to pause the ban for 12 months, allowing Balogun to play in the round of 16 against Belgium.
This decision caused a lot of anger, especially from the Belgian Football Association and UEFA, who said FIFA “crossed a red line” and made an unfair ruling. Still, FIFA stuck to their decision, and Balogun played against Belgium.
On July 21, La Liga president Javier Tebas called on FIFA president Infantino to step down, blaming him for “destroying the football industry.” Even though the World Cup is over, Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness confirmed that her association will file a formal complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee about Trump’s interference in the Balogun case. She had also previously filed a complaint over Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize last December.
Speaking to The Times, Klaveness asked Infantino to admit that FIFA made a mistake with the Balogun decision. She said, “Bending rules like this is dangerous and puts the whole game at risk. It shouldn’t have happened. We need honest communication now.”
She explained that powerful outside influence, like that from political leaders, shouldn’t affect FIFA’s decisions. “If you start bending rules for politicians, it changes how the organization acts and crosses a line.”
Klaveness added, “When big decisions are influenced by outside voices, it’s important to have more people involved in the decision. Not doing so was a mistake. This case is serious and worrying, but I hope it encourages others to speak up. I’ll discuss this with my board and then we’ll move forward with the complaint. To me, it’s a matter of ethics.”