FIFA amends disciplinary regulations following controversy over Folarin Balogun’s suspension

FIFA will amend Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code following controversy caused by the decision to suspend the automatic enforcement of the sanction against American forward Folarin Balogun. The measure allowed the player to feature against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16, despite having received a red card.

The world governing body’s decision was criticized by the Belgian Football Federation (RBFA), which requested explanations regarding the criteria used and the exceptional circumstances cited. The federation also asked for guarantees that the disciplinary procedure had not been influenced externally and that member associations would be heard in similar cases.

The controversy intensified after United States President Donald Trump said that he had personally asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the sanction. The statement raised questions about the independence of the disciplinary process.

After Thursday’s FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, Pascale Van Damme, president of the RBFA and a member of the FIFA Council, announced that Article 27 would be reviewed. The amendment is to be submitted for approval at the FIFA Council meeting in Doha, scheduled for December 16. FIFA said that decisions are made independently by its judicial bodies and that the process of amending the article has already begun.