Source: Politics<\/p>\n
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday defended his organization\u2019s decision to defer U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension ahead of the Monday World Cup match between the U.S. and Belgium.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIFA\u2019s judicial bodies are independent,\u201d Infantino said<\/a> in a statement posted on X. \u201cI read the decisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee when they are issued. Sometimes I am surprised by them. Sometimes I agree with them, and sometimes I disagree. What I always do, however, is respect those decisions and the autonomy of the bodies that make them.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sunday, FIFA announced<\/a> that its disciplinary committee suspended the red card that Balogun received during the U.S. game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday<\/a> that he had called Infantino to lobby for the suspension to be lifted, though the president insisted that \u201call I did was ask for a review,” and \u201cI didn\u2019t say that you have to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Infantino acknowledged discussing Balogun\u2019s suspension with Trump but said he explained the \u201congoing legal process involving FIFA\u2019s independent judicial bodies\u201d to the U.S. president.<\/p>\n Infantino added that \u201crespect for independent institutions and the rule of law is what protects the integrity of our competitions and the credibility of FIFA at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n UEFA, European football\u2019s governing body, said in a statement<\/a> Monday that FIFA\u2019s decision was \u201cincomprehensible and unjustifiable.\u201d<\/p>\n