Norway national team files complaint against Trump! What happened?
Norway refuses to let FIFA sweep one of the World Cup’s biggest scandals under the rug.
Details: According to GOAL, the Norwegian Football Association is preparing an official complaint to FIFA’s Ethics Committee over alleged interference by U.S. President Donald Trump in the case of forward Folarin Balogun. The federation’s executive board will make a final decision on August 6.
Balogun was shown a straight red card in the World Cup round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The automatic suspension should have sidelined the striker for the USA’s clash with Belgium, but after Trump appealed directly to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the ban was lifted for one year.
Sources claim the decision was made unilaterally by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee head, Mohammed Al-Kamali, without consulting the other 17 committee members. As a result, Balogun was cleared to play against Belgium.
Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness announced she won’t let the matter be quietly dismissed. The Norwegian side intends to demand that Infantino and FIFA publicly acknowledge the reversal of the ban as a mistake that threatens the independence and integrity of football decisions.
It’s worth noting that even with Balogun in the lineup, the United States couldn’t progress further — the Americans fell to Belgium 1-4.
Reminder: A rift in world football! UEFA president boycotted the World Cup final over FIFA's controversial decision.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
