FIFA have opened a can of worms with their tone-deaf decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s red card for the USA’s match against Belgium.
They now face being flooded with appeals about disciplinary matters from other World Cup teams – and the complaints have already started rolling in.
France are appealing to FIFA over a yellow card Michael Olise was handed in their last-16 victory over Paraguay, according to The Athletic.
If Olise is booked in their quarter-final against Morocco, he would be suspended for the semi-finals.
The Bayern Munich man was carded for an altercation with Paraguay’s Matias Galarza, who went down holding his face, but Olise had only touched his shirt.
Meanwhile, England’s FA are considering an appeal over Jarell Quansah’s red card from the 3-2 win over Mexico.
France have lodged an appeal to FIFA over Michael Olise’s yellow card against Paraguay
England’s FA are considering appealing over Jarell Quansah’s red card against Mexico
Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute for a studs-up slide tackle on Jesus Gallardo.
Though he won the ball, his challenge was deemed dangerous and he was dismissed after a VAR review, leaving England facing a long second half.
He could face a two-game ban because his challenge was classed as serious foul play.
As things stand, he will at least miss the quarter-final against Norway in Miami, Florida.
Reflecting on Quansah’s red card, former England internationals Gary Neville and Ian Wright were in agreement that his dismissal was the correct one, but said the FA should appeal it in light of the Balogun U-turn – even joking that outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should get involved.
There are five England stars who are in the same boat as Olise. Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, and Jordan Henderson – whose injury likely rules him out anyway – are all on yellow cards.
Could England have a case to ask for those to be overturned or suspended? This is the Pandora’s Box which has been opened by FIFA’s call to let Balogun play in the USA’s 4-1 defeat by Belgium.
The build-up to the last-16 clash was dominated by FIFA’s extraordinary decision to allow Balogun to play – despite the striker being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.
FIFA allowed Folarin Balogun to play for the USA against Belgium in the last 16 – despite the fact he was sent off in the previous game
It later emerged that Donald Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the red card, sparking a saga that overshadowed the USMNT’s entire World Cup campaign.
Trump said in the Oval Office: ‘All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul. I’m good at this stuff – I didn’t think it was a foul.
‘When they take your best player and say he can’t play that’s very unfair. It’s one thing to penalise someone for the game, but how do you penalise them for a game that hasn’t been played yet. You can’t do that. I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who is highly respected.
‘How would you feel if I took [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, or Harry Kane out? You can’t do that.’
FIFA issued scant explanation for suspending Balogun’s ban, merely citing ‘Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code’. That technically allows them to ‘fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure’.
However, Article 66.4 states that a red card causes an automatic ban for the team’s next match.
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