‘Where does it end?’ – Tuchel, UEFA and Belgium among those to weigh in on Balogun suspension row | OneFootball

England boss Thomas Tuchel has questioned where the line should be drawn on disciplinary appeals after the decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play for the USA against Belgium.

Balogun was controversially sent off in the USA’s round of 23 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina after a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic.

But FIFA have suspended Balogun’s suspension for one year. “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one year,” they said in a statement.

England, meanwhile, had Jarell Quansah sent off in their round of 16 win over Mexico, a decision Tuchel did not agree with.

“To be clear it was not a red card. VAR got involved. The decision is made,” Tuchel said.

“Where to draw the line? That’s the question I ask and I have no answer to that. Where does it end?

“Do we appeal if a yellow card is not a yellow card? Do we not think it’s not a red card – where does it start and where does it end?”

UEFA hit out at FIFA

UEFA, meanwhile, have criticised the decision by FIFA to allow Balogun to play, in the latest spat between the two governing bodies.

“Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line,” UEFA said.

“Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.

“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.

“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws. A tournament is never a pure stand alone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.

“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”

Belgium furious with decision

Belgium have been left unhappy with the decision to allow Balogun to play against them.

“I didn’t know that at the World Cup, the 5th of July is actually the first of April, it’s April Fools’ [Day],” boss Rudi Garcia said.

Trump thanks FIFA

Posting on social media, US president Donald Trump thanked FIFA for “reversing a great injustice”.

He later confirmed he had spoken to FIFA to ask them to review the suspension.

“Yes, I asked for a review by FIFA,” Trump admitted. “I spoke to a man who is highly respected (FIFA president Gianni Infantino) and, by the way, whose level of respect has gone up tenfold, and it was good before this started.

“That wasn’t a foul. That wasn’t even an infraction. That was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other.

“He gave a red card. I didn’t know what that meant, then I started hearing that it means he can’t play in the next game, at least. If it happened to another player it would have been unfair but when they take your best player, or just about, they have some great players, and they say you can’t play, that’s very unfair.”

FIFA’s explanation

FIFA president Infantino: “I have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA’s governance.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.

“Yes, I regularly discuss matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States, and on this matter, I did receive a call from President Donald Trump, just as I receive calls from heads of state, government officials, football stakeholders and business executives from around the world on many different issues. During our conversation, I explained that there was an ongoing legal process involving FIFA’s independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies. That is how FIFA’s system works, and it is a principle that I will always uphold.

“I read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree.

“What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them. Whether we personally like a decision or not is irrelevant. Respect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.”