The lifting of Folarin Balogun’s suspension and the opportunity he was given to play in the U.S. vs. Belgium match in the Round of 16 of the World Cup—even though he had been sent off in the Round of 32—continues to be a topic of discussion in the international media.

The decision, which had been attributed to pressure exerted by U.S. President Donald Trump on his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, was described as scandalous, and the details now coming to light suggest that it likely was.

According to information from *The Times*, FIFA’s disciplinary committee did indeed meet to discuss Folarin Balogun’s red card. However, out of the 18 members of this disciplinary committee, only one person made the decision to overturn the suspension: Mohammad Al Kamali, chairman of the disciplinary committee! The other 17 members of the committee had no say in the matter…

There are 18 members of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, but the unprecedented decision to lift Balogun’s automatic ban was made by just one person—the chairman, Mohammad Al Kamali of the UAE. No one else was consulted.
Full story: https://t.co/DbqEmcPlOT

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) July 12, 2026

*photo source: AP