FIFA disciplinary chief acted alone in reversing Balogun ban after Trump call, reports say

The head of FIFA's disciplinary committee unilaterally decided to overturn the suspension of US men's national team striker Folarin Balogun — a reversal that followed a phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA — according to new reports.

Mohammad Al-Kamali, the UAE national who chairs FIFA's disciplinary committee, made the decision without consulting the panel's other 17 members, the New York Post, The Times of London and the BBC reported Sunday.

The Times reported that Al-Kamali imposed a one-match ban on Balogun and then immediately suspended its enforcement for one year, effectively clearing the striker to play. Balogun went on to feature in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.

Al-Kamali declined to answer questions when approached by BBC journalists over the weekend. FIFA did not respond to The Times' report.

The controversy deepened after Trump's phone call to FIFA became public.

Balogun scored the opening goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on July 2 but received a red card for stepping on an opponent's ankle. Under standard rules, he would have been automatically suspended for the round of 16. After Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino directly to request a review, FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary regulations to suspend the ban's enforcement for one year.

A suspension being overturned to allow a player to compete is without precedent in World Cup history.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said, "That wasn't a foul. It wasn't even a serious violation," and added, "So I asked FIFA to take another look at it."

He went on to say, "I didn't tell him what to do. It wasn't him that made the decision — the committee made the decision, and I think it was the right one."

Infantino said in a statement that he "regularly discusses World Cup-related matters with the US president" and that he took Trump's call "just as I receive calls from other heads of state, government officials and football stakeholders."

He added that he had explained to Trump that "legal proceedings were under way before an independent judicial body and that the authority to decide rested with the disciplinary committee."

Infantino also faces a complaint before the International Olympic Committee. FairSquare, a sports and human rights organization, announced Wednesday it would file a complaint with the IOC over what it described as FIFA President Gianni Infantino's repeated violations of political neutrality rules.

Infantino became an IOC member in 2020 and falls under its jurisdiction. IOC President Kirsty Coventry said no complaint had yet been received but added, "Of course, if a complaint comes in, we will look at it."

Despite the efforts to keep Balogun on the field, the United States were eliminated after a 1-4 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.