FIFA's Credibility Test: Can Disciplinary Rules Survive Presidential Calls?

FIFA reinstated US striker Folarin Balogun for Monday's Belgium match after Trump called president Gianni Infantino to request the suspension be reviewed — the first such nullification since 1962. Rights groups and international media now question whether the disciplinary system retains institutional independence when a sitting head of state can reopen settled sanctions mid-tournament. The precedent raises whether other federations facing suspended players in decisive matches would have equal access to the same channel of appeal.