Balogun: Red cards should not be overturned by phone calls, Blatter tells FIFA

Ex-FIFA chief, Joseph Sepp Blatter. Credit: EuroNews

Former FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter on Monday questioned the independence of world football’s governing body following the controversy surrounding the overturning of United States forward Folarin Balogun’s red card, warning that football “must never become a playground for political power.”

Blatter’s comments come days after United States President Donald Trump publicly thanked FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the decision that made Balogun eligible for the Americans’ FIFA World Cup knockout clash.

Trump’s remarks ignited widespread debate across the football community, with critics questioning whether politics had influenced a disciplinary process that FIFA insists is handled by its independent judicial bodies.

Reacting in a post on X, Blatter wrote, “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis, FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power. #FIFA #WorldCup #GianniInfantino #DonaldTrump.”