“Graffiti by Paulo Ito in Rua Padre Chico 50, São Paulo, Brazil,” by Jo Lorib is licensed under CC-SA 3.0
On July 1, 2026, American forward Folarin Balogun challenged Bosnian centre-back Tarik Muharemović with a studs-up tackle to the ankle. Because there was little to no effective attempt for the ball, such a move is widely considered excessive and dangerous, classified as “serious foul play,” in FIFA handbooks. Hence, after VAR review, referee Raphael Claus presented Balogun with a red card, ejecting him from the game that the USA would go on to win to advance into the round of 16. Two days later, FIFA confirmed that Balogun would have to serve a one day ban for receiving a straight red card.
Despite FIFA’s disciplinary code prohibiting appeals against straight red cards, according to The Atlantic and CNN, Trump spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to inquire about absolving the situation. Later that week, FIFA announced it was using Article 27 to rescind Balogun’s send off and automatic one-match ban, allowing the star forward to play against Belgium in the Round of 16.
Internationally, football fans erupted at the seemingly corrupt and unfair nature of this decision. Not only was the process incredibly opaque, but many claim that the same decision would not have been made if Balogun wasn’t such a key player of a powerful nation—or if Donald Trump hadn’t gotten involved. Perhaps coincidentally, Ronaldo was also a beneficiary of this obscure article just a week after meeting with Trump privately in the Oval Office. In November 2025, Ronaldo was given a straight red and a three-game ban for elbowing Ireland’s Dara O’Shea. Since he only sat out of one international game, Ronaldo was set to miss Portugal’s first two games in the 2026 World Cup. However, shortly after Ronaldo’s visit to the White House—where he also also dined with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and many business leaders and billionaires—FIFA shaved two matches off the ban, allowing Ronaldo to play in all of Portugal’s World Cup matches.
In a statement to CNN Sports about the Balogun decision, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) reflected, “Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. […] When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. […] We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.” Although the incredulousness and disappointment expressed by UEFA is well-founded and understandable, this statement implies that FIFA has been a purveyor of equality and justice in football. Of meritocracy. However, after FIFA’s numerous corruption scandals, inconsistent rule applications, and failure to stand up for players, it is hard to believe that FIFA cares about equality in the game. Examples include:
- Failing to advocate for the Iranian national team when they were forced to relocate their training base from Arizona to Tijuana (imposing logistical hurdles, long travel times, and limited support staff due to U.S. entry denial) in 2026
- Engaging in numerous cash-for-contracts scandals, vote-rigging, and secret bribe repayments (detailed in Andrew Jennings’ 2006 book, Foul!)
- Accepting ~$150 million in bribes over 24 years
- Revising its code of ethics to remove “corruption” as a specific violation, add a 10-year statute of limitations, and make defamatory statements against FIFA an offence
- Suspending Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine despite not boycotting other nations for past aggressions or human-rights abuses (e.g., Iraq under Saddam, Saudi Arabia in Yemen, Qatar’s human-rights record, or American aggression in Iraq)
- Refusing to cut ties with the Saudi Arabian Oil Company due to the nation’s continuous human rights violations, women’s rights abuses, and criminalization of homosexuality
- Inconsistent enforcement of Article 34.3 of the World Cup match protocols (banning players and team officials who display political messages before, during, or after matches)
- Permitting political interference, especially by host nations, through “controversial and influential refereeing” (detailed in Jules Boykoff’s BLANK book, Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine)
- Facilitating the sports trafficking* of foreign minors by maintaining ambiguities, gaps, gaps, and loopholes in their regulations
It is no surprise that the wealthiest nations and corporate interests dominate football. They can fund robust training pipelines, employ top-tier coaching, and drain talent from less affluent regions. However, they also hold immense political power over FIFA. From lucrative bylaw agreements to sponsorship deals, the legal and financial assets of wealthy nations have proven too sweet for FIFA to resist—as demonstrated by the aforementioned list. When FIFA rescinded Balogun’s one-game suspension, it wasn’t an “unprecedented” decision. It wasn’t a rare fluke in the association’s otherwise just and egalitarian history. It was merely a high-profile and recent addition to FIFA’s long history of corruption, politicization, and injustice. Boycott FIFA and Reclaim the Game!
*Each year, roughly 15,000 boys are trafficked from West Africa to Europe with promises of making their football dreams come true. Most of these boys will be abandoned upon arrival in Europe. Left with little to no money in a foreign country, they are immensely vulnerable to homelessness and detention for unlawful immigration. Those who do receive contracts often have their wages and passports confiscated, constraining their mobility and keeping them indebted to their ‘agents’. Exploited, these boys are forced to live in squalled conditions and work odd jobs to pay for their training, despite seemingly having lucrative contracts.