Norway to make formal complaint to FIFA over Balogun red card saga

What the report says

Norway’s football federation is preparing to file a formal ethics complaint with FIFA over the decision to lift a World Cup suspension for United States forward Folarin Balogun, Al Jazeera reported via AFP, citing an interview federation president Lise Klaveness gave to The Times. Klaveness said she would ask the Norwegian Football Federation board to support taking the matter to FIFA’s Ethics Committee, arguing the episode raised wider concerns for the sport’s rules and governance.

The dispute stems from Balogun’s red card in the United States’ last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which would normally have ruled him out of the next match against Belgium. FIFA instead suspended the ban after, according to the report, US President Donald Trump contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Belgium went on to beat the co-hosts 4-1 in the last 16. FIFA’s move drew criticism because it appeared to involve political pressure in a disciplinary matter.

Klaveness, a former Norway international and lawyer who has led the NFF since 2022, told The Times the decision should be treated as an ethical issue and said FIFA needed to acknowledge an error. She also questioned the reported process, saying The Times had indicated the decision was made by FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman Mohammad al-Kamali without consultation with other members.

Al Jazeera reported that Norway has already complained about FIFA’s first Peace Prize being awarded to Trump by Infantino. Klaveness also criticised a separate South American proposal to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, saying further expansion so soon could damage trust and put additional pressure on domestic and confederation competitions.