MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. FIFA has lost credibility amid its decision to rescind US forward Folarin Balogun’s red card at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Vyacheslav Koloskov, former vice president of FIFA and an honorary member of the organization, told TASS on Monday.
Following a video review, Balogun was slapped with a red card after he appeared to drive his cleat into the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic in their match during the Round of 32 at the world championship. The Royal Belgian Football Association has appealed FIFA’s decision to overturn Balogun’s red-card disqualification ahead of Monday's US-Belgium Last 16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Reuters news agency reported earlier in the day citing its sources that Balogun's red-card ban was scrapped after US President Donald Trump personally urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the case.
"FIFA hasn’t been independent or autonomous for a long time now. To be frank, it’s as if [FIFA President Gianni] Infantino never left Donald Trump's office, where he presented him with some kind of gold medal and asked him to make a farce out of the World Cup. It’s a bunch of baloney," Koloskov emphasized.
"Clearly, FIFA's reputation has been tarnished. They’re doing all this to cash in, with actual football taking a back seat," he continued.
