Norway to lodge formal complaint with FIFA over Balogun red card saga

Norway is preparing to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA regarding the controversial suspension of Folarin Balogun's World Cup ban, a move the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) president Lise Klaveness argues puts "the whole game at risk."

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To me, it should be in the same sphere of ethical complaint.

Klaveness intends to seek board approval on August 6 to submit the complaint to FIFA's ethics committee, calling the incident "something that should not have happened." She plans to include the Balogun affair in an existing complaint concerning FIFA President Gianni Infantino's decision to award the inaugural Peace Prize to then-US President Donald Trump, a move that drew widespread ridicule.

Balogun received a red card during a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, resulting in an automatic suspension for the subsequent game against Belgium. However, FIFA intervened and suspended the ban, a decision that has drawn significant criticism, particularly after reports emerged that Trump had contacted Infantino about the matter. Belgium subsequently defeated Norway 4-1 in the match.

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When you bend a rule like this, you're on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk.

"When you bend a rule like this, you're on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk," Klaveness warned. She expressed concern over compromising fundamental rules and stated that the verdict was influenced by external forces without a proper process. Klaveness believes FIFA's leader must acknowledge this as an error.

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We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process.

Klaveness, a former Norway international and head of the NFF since 2022, views bending to a head of state as a dangerous precedent that could lead to increased interference in sports. She also criticized the disciplinary committee chairman for making the decision to suspend the ban unilaterally, without consulting other members, especially given the external influence. Klaveness insisted that the issue cannot be ignored, stating, "To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly."

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We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.