UEFA harshly criticizes FIFA in the Balogun scandal: "Such a decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament. It has crossed the red line. We express our astonishment at such a decision."

UEFA has issued a statement contesting FIFA's decision to suspend the red card received by American player Folarin Balogun, stating that it has "crossed the red line" and is "incomprehensible and unjustifiable." FIFA's decision to postpone for a year the application of the automatic one-match suspension following the red card contravenes the basic principles of sport, which are based on clear rules to ensure fair competition. UEFA emphasizes that an automatic suspension is not a discretionary option and that such a decision affects the integrity of the sport and the credibility of the competition. It creates a dangerous precedent, where players in similar situations could be treated unequally, thus undermining competition.

"Yesterday's decision to suspend, for a probationary period of one year, the application of the automatic one-match suspension as a result of the red card received by player Folarin Balogun has crossed the red line. Football, like any other sport, is based on rules, which constitute the foundation of fair, honest, and transparent competition. Sometimes, the rules are open to interpretation. In this case, however, it is not so. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require a decision from a competent body to be enforced. It is a principle enshrined in regulations, which cannot be subject to exceptions, especially in the midst of a tournament where several other players have found themselves in the same situation and have regularly served their suspension.

When the certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by those who uphold them, the integrity of the game is put at risk, and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Furthermore, such a decision creates a precedent within the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require equal treatment, to the detriment of competition.

Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and enjoys trust because it is played everywhere according to the same rules. A tournament is never an isolated event, and if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to generate positive or negative consequences for the game as a whole.

We express our astonishment at such a precedent-setting decision, which is incomprehensible and unjustifiable," UEFA's statement reads.