Blatter questions FIFA's political influence after Trump call

Sepp Blatter, the former president of FIFA, stated on Monday that he questioned the football governing body's decision to suspend the red card ban for US striker Folarin Balogun. Reports indicated that US President Donald Trump made a phone call to FIFA's current president, Gianni Infantino, requesting that FIFA review Balogun's automatic one-game suspension. Following this intervention, the 25-year-old player was cleared to compete against Belgium in the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday. His suspension was postponed for a year without any explanation being provided by FIFA regarding this decision.

Blatter, who has faced numerous scandals during his tenure, expressed his concerns on social media, asserting, "Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls," indicating that such decisions should be made based on rules, evidence, and independent bodies. He further questioned, "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?"

Blatter, now 90 years old, also emphasized that football should never become a platform for political power. He has been critical of Infantino in the past, asserting to the German newspaper Bild in February that FIFA had transformed into a "dictatorship."

Blatter resigned from his position in 2015 following a corruption scandal and was subsequently banned from football by FIFA's ethics committee. The decision concerning Balogun’s red card has also faced backlash from various entities including UEFA, Belgium's coach Rudi Garcia, and former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp who have all condemned FIFA's action.