FIFA Reportedly to Make Rule Change After USMNT's Folarin Balogun World Cup Red Card Controversy

FIFA is reportedly set to abolish the rule that currently allows for red-card suspensions to be delayed and served in the future after this summer's World Cup controversy involving USMNT striker Folarin Balogun.

According to ESPN, one of the top items on the upcoming FIFA council's meeting "is a motion to amend FIFA rules to prohibit the suspensions of automatic one-match bans in the future. The decision by FIFA's disciplinary committee to suspend the ban imposed on Balogun sparked outcry that it amounted to political interference, after U.S. President Donald Trump admitted he had personally asked [FIFA president Gianni Infantino] to review the ban. FIFA members have criticized Infantino for his ties to Trump and potential conflicts of interest."

Infantino is already facing extensive pressure to resign from UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF following his failed attempt to kickstart the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, a scheme that sought to sell stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors.

But his handling of the Balogun situation was nearly as controversial. Per ESPN, "Football Association chair and FIFA vice president Debbie Hewitt... wrote to Infantino last month calling for the release of documents related to the Balogun case."

The FIFA president has maintained that he wasn't a part of the decision and that it was handled by the disciplinary committee.

Balogun, 25, was given a controversial red card during a Round of 32 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina. Generally, a straight red results in a one-match ban for the following contest, but FIFA invoked a rule allowing the punishment to be pushed out further into the future, causing an enormous controversy in the process.

He then started the team's 4-1 loss against Belgium in the Round of 16 and said the situation—and widespread furor that accompanied it—negatively impacted the USMNT.

"I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it was something that's so unique," could," he told CBS Mornings in July. "But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could."

"When something is not intentional... it should never be a red card," he added. "So it was just an unfortunate situation and I think, you know, it put a lot more pressure on us than we needed."