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European soccer’s governing body issued a blistering statement on Monday after FIFA suspended the red card ban issued to USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun.
UEFA said FIFA’s decision to suspend the implementation of Balogun’s one-game suspension “crossed a red line.”
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“Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said. “Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.”
UEFA expressed concerns with setting a precedent in the tournament and adding questions to the “integrity of the game.”
“Football is the most loved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and is trusted because it is played everywhere with the same laws,” the statement continued. “A tournament is never a pure standalone and, if the tournament in question is the World Cup, it has the power to drive positive or negative consequences on the game as a whole.
“We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.”
Balogun will be available to play on Monday in the Round of 16 match.
President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the decision, a source told Fox News.
Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and White House task force leader Andrew Giuliani put together a team of lawyers outside the White House to challenge the use of slow-motion replay to give Balogun the red card, according to OutKick founder and Fox News contributor Clay Travis.
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Belgium was reportedly granted the right to appeal the decision.
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