2026 World Cup, Blatter on Balogun: ‘Red cards aren’t overturned by phone calls’

Rome, 6 July (LaPresse) – “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls but by the rules, by evidence and by independent bodies.” This was written on X by former FIFA president Joseph Blatter, following the lifting of the suspension imposed on Folarin Balugon, the US striker who had been sent off during the round of 16 match against Bosnia. The decision reportedly came after a phone call from US President Donald Trump to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “If a US president intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is inevitable: Quo vadis, FIFA?”, asks Blatter, who then adds: “Football must never become a playing field for political power.”