Gianni Infantino issues statement after FIFA suspend Folarin Balogun red card amid Donald Trump request | OneFootball

Gianni Infantino has broken his silence on the Folarin Balogun red card controversy

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has issued a statement defending the decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card.

Balogun was given his marching orders in the USA's World Cup round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina after VAR reviewed a tackle he made on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

As per FIFA rules, the additional punishment for the red card was an automatic one-match ban, meaning the former Arsenal striker was due to miss the World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium.

However, FIFA announced on Sunday that Balogun's ban has been “suspended”, with United States President Donald Trump confirming he asked Infantino to “review” the decision.

Infantino has since come in for heavy criticism. UEFA have expressed “disbelief” at the decision taken by FIFA and said it was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.

The FIFA President, though, maintians he has upheld all credibility.

A statement reads: “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.”