The Norwegian soccer federation is contemplating a formal ethics complaint to FIFA regarding the exemption of Folarin Balogun from a mandatory one-match suspension during the World Cup. This development follows an intervention by Donald Trump, who reportedly influenced the decision.
On Thursday, the federation revealed that its board would discuss the potential complaint during an upcoming meeting scheduled for August 6.
FIFA’s Controversial Decision
“We need our leader in Fifa to say that this was an error,” said Lise Klaveness, the federation’s president, in an interview released the same day. Following a conversation between Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the suspension imposed on Balogun—originally a consequence of a red card received in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina—was postponed. This allowed him to take part in a crucial game against Belgium.
Belgium ultimately defeated the United States 4-1 after a chaotic 36 hours at the World Cup, marked by one of the tournament’s most notable controversies.
Concerns Over External Influence
Trump publicly denounced the referee’s choice to issue a red card to Balogun post-video review, labeling it a “We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process,” decision and taking credit for prompting FIFA to reconsider what should have been a straightforward one-game ban. “When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk,” Klaveness commented, addressing FIFA’s ruling, which she emphasized is without precedent in the last six decades of World Cup history.
“It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game,” she added. Klaveness, who is also a former Women’s World Cup player and a member of UEFA’s executive committee, has positioned the Norwegian soccer federation as a moral authority in international soccer since her election in 2022.
“It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game,” she further stated on Thursday concerning the decision to suspend Balogun.
Previously, Norway had supported a complaint from a London-based NGO to FIFA’s ethics committee, alleging that Infantino breached political neutrality obligations, including his choice to honor Trump with a peace prize during the World Cup draw in December.
This week, reports have emerged detailing close personal and political connections between Trump and Infantino, with Trump reportedly viewing Infantino as a potential candidate for the next United Nations secretary-general.
The human rights organization FairSquare has also submitted an ethics complaint concerning the Balogun situation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where Infantino is an elected member, citing violations of political neutrality.
FIFA and the IOC typically refrain from commenting on ongoing investigations within their ethics bodies. Since both the lead investigator and the judge were replaced in 2017 during Infantino’s second year in office, doubts about the independence of FIFA’s processes for addressing unethical behavior have surfaced. To date, FIFA has not disclosed any documents clarifying how its disciplinary judges arrived at the decisions regarding Balogun and other World Cup participants.
