Former federal lawmaker Shehu Sani has reacted to FIFA’s decision to suspend the red card shown to United States striker Folarin Balogun, following President Donald Trump’s public thanks to the football governing body for reversing the disciplinary action.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, praised FIFA for what he described as correcting an injustice after the suspension of Balogun’s red card. The decision allows the forward to feature in the USA’s World Cup round-of-16 clash against Belgium.
Reacting on X, Sani warned that if a country’s president could influence FIFA to review or change a disciplinary decision against a player, it would set a dangerous precedent for international sports officiating beyond football.
According to him, such a development could weaken confidence in the independence and fairness of decisions made by football authorities around the world. He argued that disciplinary actions should remain free from political influence to protect the integrity of the sport.
Sani also expressed hope that FIFA would not evolve into an organisation where certain powerful countries enjoy special privileges, similar to the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
In his words, “If a President of a Country can call the FIFA President to interfere or change a disciplinary decision that has been taken on a player, a dangerous precedent has been set for international sports officiating, not just football administration in the World.”
Here’s a screenshot of his post……See More
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