FIFA questioned both Trump and Infantino to defend the proceedings surrounding the ruling allowing Balogun to play in the USA match.

GENEVA (AP) — With the integrity of FIFA and the World Cup under attack from European soccer leaders, FIFA President Gianni Infantino admitted taking a phone call from President Donald Trump before allowing American striker Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium later Monday.

Balogun received a red card in the United States’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, which led to his suspension for the Belgium match. Trump called Infantino after the match with Bosnia to plead his case to cancel the call, and FIFA lifted the suspension on Sunday.

It sparked a day of off-field hype at the World Cup

Read more: FIFA lifted the red card ban on American player Balogun at the World Cup after Trump called Infantino.

The Belgian Football Association appealed FIFA’s decision not to impose a ban on Balogun. UEFA described the decision as an “incomprehensible” violation of the rule of football law. Trump admitted to contacting Infantino and took credit for convincing FIFA to review the red card.

A chaotic and unprecedented day in modern World Cup history saw a FIFA appeal judge reject Belgium’s legal challenge, less than eight hours before kick-off in Seattle with a possible quarter-final spot.

FIFA said in a statement that the Belgian Football Association “is not a party to the proceedings and therefore has no right to appeal the decision.”

It was not clear if and when Belgium could file an appeal with the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is standing by to rule on urgent World Cup-related cases.

The Belgian Federation said that it “informed the US Soccer Federation that it will appeal the player’s eligibility, if the player is included in the list of the referees’ team. This leaves all other procedures open.”

The fallout from Balogun’s red card challenge against a Bosnia and Herzegovina defender, in the United States’ 2-0 round-of-32 win last Wednesday, has highlighted Infantino’s executive control over FIFA and his years-long close ties with Trump.

Infantino insisted in a social media post that FIFA’s disciplinary committee acted independently and ruled on cases like Balogun’s on the basis of “the applicable regulations and the specific facts.”

Infantino said about his call with Trump: “During our conversation, I made clear that there is an ongoing legal process that includes the independent judicial bodies in FIFA, and that the case will be decided in a timely manner by the competent bodies.”

A ruling issued by a FIFA disciplinary judge on Sunday allowed Balogun to face Belgium in the round of 16 at a later date instead of imposing a mandatory one-match ban.

The Belgian FA said earlier that FIFA had not provided essential documents for its appeal, and the Norwegian Football Association – which faces England in the quarter-finals on Saturday – said the lack of a legal explanation from FIFA was “a cause for concern regarding the integrity of the competition.” The Swiss Football Association announced that “the credibility of the competition depends on clear rules that are constantly applied.”

Trump’s comments

Trump on Monday defended Infantino’s recall, saying he only referred to a “terrible” decision by a referee to issue a red card to Balogun for illegal interference.

“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t think it was a mistake,” Trump told reporters at the White House about pressuring Infantino, a close ally, not to impose a one-game ban. Instead, the ban was deferred to one year of probation, sparking an unprecedented controversy in the World Cup’s 96-year history just hours before the United States-Belgium match in Seattle.

UEFA vs. FIFA is on fire again

UEFA had previously criticized FIFA for the “incomprehensible and unjustified decision” which it said “crossed a red line”, and other harsh criticism came globally from former World Cup stars and coaches at the tournament.

“It’s a bad, bad, bad, bad decision that will hurt the World Cup,” Norway coach Stahl Solbakken said on Sunday after his team beat Brazil to reach the quarter-finals.

UEFA, whose member associations include Belgium, insisted: “Sometimes the rules are open to interpretation. In this case they are not. When the custodians of the rules are no longer guaranteed, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of the competition is undermined.”

UEFA often clashed with Infantino during his decade in charge of FIFA.

UEFA, where Infantino served as secretary-general from 2009 until his election to lead FIFA in February 2016, said: “We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified decision.”

Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter, who was forced from office in 2015 due to the fallout from corruption scandals, posted on social media on Monday: “Red cards are not invalidated by political phone calls. They are invalidated by rules, evidence and independent bodies.”

Belgium legal options

Belgian officials in Seattle prepared throughout the night into Monday for a hearing with a FIFA-appointed appeals judge, and their eventual defeat may not be the end.

The Belgian Federation said: “Regardless of the sporting outcome of the match, we are deeply concerned about the way these events have developed and we will continue, in the coming hours, days and months, to pursue all available avenues to support the basic principles of ethics, sporting justice and the interests of football as a whole.”

Balogun treatment

Balogun was sent off immediately after putting his drilled foot on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muhremovic during the United States’ 2-0 win in the round of 32.

This kind of challenge has been a routine red card all season in competitions around the world, and Balogun could have expected a two-match ban for a serious foul under FIFA’s disciplinary code.

However, similar challenges by star players have gone unpunished at the current World Cup – by Argentine Lionel Messi against Algeria and Moroccan Achraf Hakimi against Brazil. Bernardo Silva from Portugal only received a yellow card against Congo.

Balogun later suggested: “I think a yellow card would have been fair.”

FIFA interventions

This has been a remarkable World Cup for FIFA under Infantino and he appears to have rewritten the parameters of disciplinary procedures even before the tournament begins.

A pattern of pardons has opened FIFA to suggestions of executive interference in the legal independence of its judicial bodies, including the disciplinary committee which issued a formal decision to relieve Balogun of punishment.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been allowed to play in Portugal’s opening World Cup match despite receiving a red card for a dangerous foul in the qualifier against Ireland last November. He elbowed the opponent.

Ronaldo served a mandatory ban in Portugal’s final qualifier, but was spared an expected two-match ban because FIFA floated the idea of ​​monitoring. The three-match ban was less significant as two matches were postponed during a one-year trial period.

In the opening match on 11 June, South Africa’s Themba Zwane was shown a red card against Mexico for an offense similar to Ronaldo’s, and FIFA imposed a three-match ban without any monitoring period. Zouani did not play again in the World Cup.

FIFA surprisingly informed three players who were expelled in their national team’s qualifiers last year, last May, that they might be suspended in a future tournament instead of the World Cup, which has been the norm for a long time.

The suspensions of Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo, Argentine defender Nicolas Otamendi and Qatari defender Tariq Salman have been lifted.