The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) is set to lodge a formal complaint over Donald Trump’s political interference in getting Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card cancelled. President Lise Klaveness slammed FIFA’s decision-making process, while US Soccer officials and Balogun himself reflected on the heated controversy that surrounded the tournament.

NFF files formal complaint

The NFF is preparing to submit a formal complaint against FIFA after US President Trump stepped in to have Balogun’s red card overturned in the World Cup round of 32. The disputed decision was taken unilaterally by the chairman of FIFA’s disciplinary committee, Mohammad al-Kamali, without consulting the other 17 committee members after a phone call from Trump to Gianni Infantino.

NFF President Klaveness strongly criticised the breach of regulations and said the issue would not be brushed aside. As quoted by Dagbladet, she said: “I won’t allow this to be swept under the rug.”

Klaveness criticises FIFA process

Klaveness feels that political interference in reversing Balogun’s suspension has hurt the integrity and basic rules of world football. She demanded full transparency from FIFA’s leadership and asked for the matter to be officially taken up at an upcoming board meeting: “When you bend a rule in this manner, you put the entire game at risk. It is a major concern for football when fundamental rules are compromised.”

She added: “We know this decision was influenced by external factors and lacked proper process. This matter was so serious and troubling that I hope it can encourage people to step forward and speak out without fear. I will bring it up at a board meeting and discuss it with my board.”

US Soccer addresses controversy

On the other hand, US Soccer CEO J.T. Batson defended the White House’s role in helping overturn Balogun’s suspension ahead of their clash against Belgium: “The president is able to do what the President wants to do.”

However, Balogun himself admitted that the controversial call caused anxiety within the US squad before the match, saying: “My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it's something that is so unique.”

The forward also said the heavy public scrutiny and outside pressure were hard for the team to ignore: “The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that's hard to avoid.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

FIFA faces ethics probe

FIFA says its independent Ethics Committee will look into the circumstances around the overturned suspension amid growing pressure from member associations, including Norway and Belgium.

Beyond Balogun’s disciplinary issue, FIFA’s talks over expanding the World Cup to 64 teams are likely to further strain relations with the NFF. Observers are now waiting to see whether the ethics review can help restore confidence in FIFA’s governance.