Norway consider complaint over Balogun World Cup ban suspension

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that the Norwegian Football Federation is weighing a formal approach to Fifa’s ethics committee over the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match World Cup ban. Balogun, a United States forward, had been sent off with a straight red card in the 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina and was expected to be unavailable for the last-16 match against Belgium. Instead, the sanction was put on hold for 12 months under a rule permitting suspended punishments.

Balogun then started against Belgium, who won 4-1. According to the BBC, the decision came after US President Donald Trump contacted Fifa president Gianni Infantino; Trump later said he had asked Fifa to review the incident but had not instructed Infantino what to do. Fifa has said its judicial bodies are independent, and no detailed explanation for the suspension was given beyond the cited disciplinary provision.

NFF president Lise Klaveness told the BBC the federation was seriously concerned and would decide at its next board meeting whether to complain. Norway has already raised a separate ethics complaint about Fifa’s first Peace Prize being awarded to Trump, and Klaveness indicated the Balogun matter could be added to that inquiry.

The controversy has also drawn criticism from Belgium’s football federation and Uefa, while Belgium’s request for an explanation was ruled inadmissible by Fifa. The BBC also reports that questions have been raised about whether the International Olympic Committee could examine Infantino, an IOC member since 2020; the IOC said it does not comment publicly on confidential ethics complaints unless sanctions are imposed.