AS Monaco of France’s Nigerian-born striker, Folarin Balogun is in the news again regarding the red card he got while playing for USA at the recent FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the country of his birth, Sports247 reports.
Balogun was sent off after scoring for USA in their round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, but he was later cleared to play for co-hosts USA in their last-16 fixture versus Belgium when what ought to have been a game’s ban was ‘suspended’ under mysterious circumstances.
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Despite complaining vehemently, Belgium eventually played and won the resultant match, amidst reports that the red card had been suspended for a year by a single official of FIFA’s disciplinary committee following a personal phone call from USA’s president, Donald J. Trump.
Now, at a point when everyone thought the matter was dead and buried, Belgium have brought it up once again and are using it as a trumpcard in the face of FIFA president, Gianni Infantino’s hope for re-election to the exalted office.
While confirming their continued angst over the Balogun saga, Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) president, Pascale Van Damme stated that key questions remain ignored and FIFA have “shown no transparency” regarding the unprecedented event in God’s Own Country.
Van Damme further hinted that Belgium have pulled out of supporting Infantino, as he asked FIFA for ‘a clear justification of the decisions taken and details of how such situations will be handled in the future,’ as confusion continues over the matter.
While Balogun also got into stormy waters recently after suddenly pulling out of a likely transfer to Everton of England, even at the start of his medicals in Merseyside, Belgium also won’t let go of his controversial ‘clearance’ during the Mundial.
This much was asserted by Van Damme, when he revealed: “My team at the RBFA communicated with FIFA in a composed and constructive manner, both during and after the World Cup, in order to obtain clarity in the Balogun case. Two months after the events, we note that our questions remain unanswered to date.
“Given the importance of transparency and clarity for all parties involved, we request the necessary explanations and, at the same time, wish to explore where improvements to the current processes are possible.”
Sports247 reports further that Infantino continues to seek re-election for a final term running until 2031, but his chances of winning keep on diminishing, after losing the support of several football federations in Europe.
