FIFA set for rule change after Balogun red card row at the World Cup: reports

Football’s planetary governing assemblage is expected to alteration a regularisation that allowed a reddish paper for USA guardant Folarin Balogun to beryllium controversially overturned during the World Cup, according to media reports connected the docket for Thursday’s FIFA assembly gathering successful Zurich.

The decision-making assemblage is convening for the archetypal clip since this year’s tournament, and a ⁠⁠motion to prohibit specified actions successful the aboriginal volition beryllium apical of the agenda. Members volition besides sermon the organisation’s funding, rules and different matters amid a turbulent clip successful the sport.

During the World Cup’s round-of-32 match, Balogun received a reddish paper for stepping awkwardly connected the close ankle of Tarik Muharemovic of Bosnia successful a 2-0 triumph for the location team. It triggered an automatic one-game suspension.

However, United States President Donald Trump urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reappraisal the case, and Balogun’s reddish paper was overturned, allowing him to play successful the USA’s round-of-16 lucifer against Belgium.

The determination to overturn Balogun’s reddish paper ignited 1 of the tournament’s biggest controversies, with wide disapproval from shot federations, erstwhile FIFA officials, experts and coaches.

The 37-member FIFA assembly is expected to ballot connected whether to prohibit disciplinary committees from overturning automatic lucifer suspensions astatine the World Cup, but the Balogun contention is improbable to spell away.

FIFA Vice President Debbie Hewitt is among the sport’s leaders who person asked ‌‌‌‌Infantino to merchandise each documents related to the case.

Thursday’s FIFA assembly gathering is the archetypal since Infantino came ‌‌‌‌under ‌‌‌‌fire earlier this twelvemonth for a now-shelved program to merchantability a 20 percent involvement successful the World Cup’s commercialized concern to backstage investors.

Infantino has faced calls to resign from the leaders of 3 determination shot confederations – UEFA (Europe), AFC (Asia) ⁠⁠⁠⁠and CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) – and their representatives volition beryllium contiguous successful Zurich for the FIFA meeting.

They volition beryllium joined by their counterparts from Africa, South America and Oceania.

On the docket volition beryllium a treatment of the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, which Infantino was forced to abandon ⁠⁠⁠⁠within days of announcing it successful July.

Under the plan, Infantino projected selling a number involvement successful a FIFA commercialized subsidiary to backstage investors, with a institution launched by Joshua Kushner, the member of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, identified arsenic the projected pb investor.

The assembly volition besides code FIFA’s governance, with immoderate of the sport’s astir almighty figures determined to bounds Infantino’s powers if they cannot unit him retired of office.

Infantino, 56, volition basal for re-election successful March 2027, with a ‌‌‌‌November 18 deadline looming for imaginable candidates to taxable their nominations.