FIFA just did something that has European football coaches furious and, whether the governing body realizes it or not, handed the decentralization crowd a fresh case study in why centralized decision-making keeps generating trust crises.
Norway coach Ståle Solbakken blasted FIFA’s decision to effectively erase US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension ahead of a critical World Cup knockout match. The ruling, which placed Balogun’s automatic one-match ban on a one-year probation instead of enforcing it, allowed the American forward to suit up for the round-of-16 clash against Belgium on July 6.
What actually happened
Balogun received a straight red card during the US round-of-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina around July 1. Under FIFA’s own regulations, that triggers an automatic one-match suspension.
Then came the plot twist. On July 5, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee invoked Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code to suspend the ban for a one-year probationary period. In English: they kept the punishment on paper but removed it in practice, clearing Balogun to play the very next day.
