Norway FA to file formal complaint over Folarin Balogun red-card U-turn after alleged Trump–Infantino call

Norway’s football federation will lodge an official complaint with FIFA over the lifting of Folarin Balogun’s suspension at the most recent World Cup, amid claims that a phone call from former United States president Donald Trump to Gianni Infantino influenced the decision.

Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness confirmed on Thursday that her organisation will formally protest to world football’s governing body regarding the handling of the United States striker’s red card and subsequent ban.

Balogun was sent off during one of the matches at the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and initially received a suspension. Klaveness says that, during the competition, Trump contacted FIFA president Infantino by phone to ask him to overturn the ban.

According to Klaveness, FIFA then decided to cancel Balogun’s suspension. Infantino, however, has denied that Trump’s intervention played any part in the ruling.

Although many pundits agreed that the red card shown to Balogun was harsh, the controversy surrounding the incident became one of the dominant talking points of the second half of the tournament.

Klaveness accuses FIFA of ‘cover-up’

Speaking to The Times, Klaveness launched a strong attack on FIFA’s leadership, accusing officials of trying to conceal what had happened and urging Infantino to admit that lifting Balogun’s ban was a mistake.

She believes FIFA has not been transparent in explaining why the punishment was scrapped and argues that the governing body now needs to accept responsibility for what she views as a flawed decision.

Klaveness said FIFA had effectively tried to “cover up” the matter and insisted Infantino should publicly acknowledge that the reversal of the suspension was wrong.

Her decision to escalate the issue with a formal complaint marks a significant ratcheting up of tensions between the Norwegian federation and FIFA, and ensures the Balogun case will continue to attract scrutiny long after the tournament has ended.

Long-running critic of Infantino

Klaveness has become known for her repeated, outspoken criticism of FIFA and its president. She has previously challenged the organisation on governance, human rights and transparency, and has not shied away from confronting Infantino in public forums.

Infantino, by contrast, enjoys strong backing in many parts of the world outside Europe, support that has been bolstered by his move to expand the men’s World Cup to 48 teams. That reform is widely seen as having strengthened his position ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election, when he is expected to seek another term in charge of the global governing body.

The Norwegian complaint is unlikely to threaten his re-election prospects, but it will add to the pressure on FIFA to explain in detail how and why Balogun’s suspension was lifted, and whether the alleged call from Trump to Infantino had any bearing on the final outcome.

For now, Infantino maintains there is no link between the former US president’s intervention and FIFA’s disciplinary decision, while Klaveness continues to push for what she calls accountability and honesty from football’s most powerful institution.