Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has accused football’s world governing body of allowing political influence to undermine the integrity of the FIFA World Cup, warning that the controversy surrounding the suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban is already casting a shadow over the tournament.
Blatter’s remarks followed FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, making the forward eligible to feature for the United States against Belgium in Monday’s Round of 16 clash.
According to AFP, sources said US President Donald Trump personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the player’s suspension. FIFA subsequently cleared Balogun to play, but offered no public explanation for the decision, announcing only that the ban had been suspended for one year.
Reacting on X, Blatter questioned the circumstances surrounding the decision, insisting that football regulations—not political influence—should determine disciplinary matters.
“Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls,” Blatter wrote.
“They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.
“If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President—and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match—the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA?
“Football must never become a playground for political power.”
The 90-year-old former FIFA boss said the controversy risks damaging the credibility of the World Cup, with critics already questioning the independence of football’s governing body.
Blatter, who has repeatedly criticised Infantino’s leadership, had earlier described FIFA as a “dictatorship” in an interview with German newspaper Bild.
The former FIFA president resigned in 2015 amid a corruption scandal and was later banned from football by the organisation’s ethics committee.
The decision to overturn Balogun’s suspension has also drawn widespread criticism from across the football community.
European football governing body UEFA, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have all condemned FIFA’s handling of the case, arguing that the move raises serious questions about consistency, transparency and the integrity of the World Cup disciplinary process.
