OFFSIDE, DONALD

Soccer President to File Ethics Complaint After Trump Intervention

“When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk.”

The World Cup has ended but the president of the Norwegian Football Federation has not forgotten about the controversial move to overturn the suspension of U.S. player Folarin Balogun. Lise Klaveness is asking her board to pursue a formal ethics complaint with FIFA over the ban reversal “error”. “When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk,” Klaveness told The Times of London. “It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game.” Balogun, the U.S. men’s striker, was given a red card during the round 32 game against Bosnia-Herzegovina for stepping on a player’s ankle. After President Donald Trump contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the organization overturned its decision to suspend Balogun for the USMNT’s game against Belgium. Klaveness also expressed concern over the recent revelation that the Balogun decision was made solely by the chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali, of the United Arab Emirates, without input from any of the other 17 committee members.