FIFA is under heavy criticism following its controversial decision to rescind the red card issued to United States striker Folarin Balogun. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has alleged that the decision was swayed by “political phone calls.”

US President Donald Trump publicly welcomed the ruling amid multiple reports suggesting pressure from the American government in the matter.

The global football authority confirmed on Sunday that Balogun’s one-match suspension — earned during the United States’ last-32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina — had been deferred for a year. This move effectively cleared him to feature in Monday’s last-16 World Cup encounter against Belgium. Although both FIFA and the White House’s World Cup Task Force declined to comment on the speculation of political interference, the abrupt reversal has provoked widespread concern.

Sepp Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, delivered a stinging critique of the organisation’s conduct.

Posting on his X account, he wrote: “Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies.”

Balogun’s participation in Monday night’s tie against Belgium is now confirmed.

Blatter further questioned the organisation’s integrity, saying: “If a US President intervenes with the FIFA President — and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match — the question is unavoidable: Quo vadis (where are you going), FIFA? Football must never become a playground for political power. #FIFA #WorldCup #GianniInfantino #DonaldTrump.”

Blatter’s own tenure as FIFA president ended in 2015 after he received an eight-year ban, later reduced to six, over a payment made to Michel Platini. Both men were later cleared of wrongdoing by Swiss courts. However, FIFA’s ethics committee imposed an additional six-year suspension on Blatter in 2021 for other violations.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed its “astonishment” following the decision, announcing it was “examining all possible options.” Reports on Monday morning indicated that the RBFA had filed an appeal before a 1 pm UK time deadline. FIFA has yet to confirm whether the appeal will proceed.

The decision also drew strong reactions from the football community. Belgium’s head coach, Rudi Garcia, compared the move to an “April Fool’s joke,” while England manager Thomas Tuchel described it as “strange.”

Tuchel raised concerns about consistency, asking: “Who overturns this decision, when, and on what grounds? And how far does this go now? It’s just strange for me. We just want to have consistency in the decisions.”