FIFA Plans Major Change to Red Card Rules After Big Scandal at 2026 World Cup
- FIFA's ruling council met in Zurich to ratify new disciplinary rules triggered by the Folarin Balogun red card controversy at the 2026 World Cup
- The new regulations will make automatic bans mandatory for any red card, closing the gap that FIFA president Gianni Infantino exploited
- The move came after Donald Trump reportedly called Infantino, who allegedly promised to personally handle Balogun's suspension
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FIFA is set to overhaul its disciplinary regulations following the red card controversy involving Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup, even as FIFA president Gianni Infantino continues to deny any wrongdoing in the matter.
The world football governing body's ruling council convened in Zurich to ratify the new regulations, which will make it explicit that an automatic ban must follow any red card unless the wrong player was sent off.
Source: Getty Images
The meeting was also expected to see Infantino propose more than doubling the financial distributions made to every national football association.
What happened with Balogun at the World Cup
The controversy erupted after Infantino personally intervened to reverse the automatic suspension that Balogun had earned following his red card in the United States' match against Bosnia, clearing the striker to feature against Belgium in the last 16, ESPN reports.
The intervention followed a phone call from US President Donald Trump to the FIFA president, with reports emerging in New York that Infantino responded to Trump by saying, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Belgium threatened to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they had lost the match while playing against a team that included Balogun.
As it happened, the Red Devils won 4-1, but the controversy had already done significant damage to FIFA's credibility.
FIFA admits the need to fix the rules
Despite Infantino's continued insistence that he played no role in the decision, and despite FIFA's earlier suggestion that there was no need to revise the rulebook, the governing body's own briefing documents told a different story, The Sun reports.
"There was never a doubt nor lack of clarity on how the automatic suspension following a red card is to be served," FIFA said in the document explaining the rule change.
"This is a way for FIFA to cure the handling of the Balogun case during the World Cup."
The use of the word "cure" in an official FIFA document is a remarkable acknowledgement that something went badly wrong, given that the only reason the situation needed fixing was Infantino's own decision to intervene.
The Balogun affair is one of several controversies that have built pressure around the FIFA president in recent weeks.
The decision to award a "Peace Prize" to Trump and a controversial plan to sell the rights to the World Cup both generated significant backlash, deepening questions about leadership at the top of world football.
The new disciplinary code is widely seen as a direct response to the Balogun scandal, regardless of how FIFA frames the motivation behind it.
By closing the loophole that allowed the ban to be commuted, the regulations essentially confirm that the original intervention was improper, even if FIFA has stopped short of saying so directly.
Infantino under pressure to leave FIFA
Legit.ng previously reported about the growing pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino from UEFA, LaLiga and the German Football Association ahead of the 2027 election.
Despite calls for him to step down, Infantino remains widely expected to secure another term. The controversy over FIFA’s decisions, including the reversal of Folarin Balogun’s suspension, put his leadership at risk.
Source: Legit.ng
