Infantino’s Role as FIFA Leader Jeopardized By Trump-Balogun Fiasco

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is coming after Gianni Infantino’s job as president of FIFA.Angered by FIFA’s decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play for the United States against Belgium Monday night despite receiving a red card in the Americans’ previous match, the UEFA is reportedly considering endorsing a candidate to challenge Mr. Infantino in next year’s FIFA presidential election.Mr. Balogun became the first player in World Cup history to play in a game after receiving a red card that traditionally requires a one-game suspension. But FIFA allowed Mr. Balogun to play after President Trump called Mr. Infantino three times to request that the decision be reviewed.UEFA said FIFA’s reversal “crossed the line,” and blamed Mr. Infantino. “Football, like any other sports, relies on rules which are the basis for fair, honest, and transparent competition,” UEFA said in a statement. “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not.”The United States lost 4-1 to Belgium and was eliminated from the tournament, but FIFA’s decision to make Mr. Balogun eligible to play continues to reverberate across the football world. Though the decision was reportedly made by a disciplinary committee, Mr. Infantino and his cozy relationship with Mr. Trump continues to be scrutinized.UEFA vice-president Laura McAllister, who could emerge as a contender for Mr. Infantino’s job, told BBC Radio Wales, FIFA’s decision could create “an absolute cesspit” of political interference due to Mr. Trump’s involvement.“Any political leader could potentially pick up the phone and say there’s a precedent for changing a punishment awarded to a player and I think it’s extremely dangerous,” she said. “I work with UEFA and we’re very clear what the rules of competitions are. We know exactly what rules and regulations are applied as do all the participants at the beginning. So to even create an environment where you can undermine the award of punishments on the pitch for right or wrong is very dangerous.”Ms. McAllister, who has served as a UEFA vice-president since 2023, added, “I think in a normal environment there would be doubts cast on Infantino’s leadership, but football isn’t a normal environment.”Meanwhile, dozens of European lawmakers are urging the FIFA Ethics Committee to investigate Mr. Infantino to determine where influence from the Trump Administration was a factor in lifting the suspension and investigate “other potential breaches of political neutrality.”A trio of European Parliament lawmakers issued a joint statement that FIFA’s decision to “change the rule on red card suspensions mid-tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice. Once again, we’ve seen Infantino and FIFA surrender to the demands of the Trump administration.” The lawmakers said 35 colleagues have signed a letter encouraging the Ethics Committee to act.Mr. Infantino was elected as FIFA president in 2016 after Sepp Blatter resigned following a corruption scandal. An election meeting of FIFA’s 211 member federations is scheduled for March in Morocco. Mr. Infantino has already announced he will seek re-election, saying, “The last 10 years (have) been a pleasure and I am proud to have brought FIFA back to football and football back to FIFA.”It was presumed he would run unopposed for the third time since his win over five candidates in 2016.Early in his tenure, Mr. Infantino, who made $6 million last year, was viewed as a great reformer, but his reverence for Mr. Trump has led to wide-spread criticism.Eyebrows were raised when Mr. Infantino presented Mr. Trump with the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize during the final draw for the World Cup in December. The award, according to Mr. Infantino, is dedicated to an individual who achieved exceptional and extraordinary action to promote peace and unity around the world.In handing Mr. Trump the award, Mr. Infantino said, “You can always count, Mr. President, on my support, on the support of the entire football community, or ‘soccer’ community, to help you make peace and make the world prosper all over the world.”Mr. Infantino admitted he spoke with Mr. Trump about the red-card Mr. Balogun received, but said in a social media post that he told the President the ultimate decision would be made by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.“I read the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued,” he wrote. “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.”It will be interesting to see the crowd reaction at the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium when Messrs. Infantino and Trump are on stage together to present the winning team with the World Cup trophy.

Infantino’s Role as FIFA Leader Jeopardized By Trump-Balogun Fiasco

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