Rabat – FIFA will update its disciplinary rules following backlash over its decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic World Cup ban.
The change comes after the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) raised official concerns with world football’s governing body.
The move comes after FIFA faced criticism for pausing Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, which cleared the striker to play in the USMNT’s last-16 match against Belgium.
Questions were raised over the independence of FIFA’s disciplinary process after U.S. President Donald Trump admitted he personally asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review Balogun’s sanction.
Following Thursday’s FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, Belgian FA president Pascale Van Damme confirmed FIFA will revise Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, according to Reuters.
The rule currently allows bans to be temporarily suspended under exceptional circumstances.
The proposed amendment will be presented for final approval at the next FIFA Council meeting, set for December 16 in Doha, according to the Belgian Football Association.
“FIFA’s confirmation that Article 27 will be amended, following the request we had already submitted in July, is an important step. The proposed amendment, together with an explanation of the specific circumstances of the Balogun case, will be submitted in Doha,” Van Damme said.
The Belgian Football Association had asked FIFA to explain how Article 27 was applied, stating it received no clear answer on what criteria would be used in similar cases moving forward.
The Belgian Football Association also demanded assurances from FIFA that no outside political pressure influenced the decision.
In addition, the federation called for clear criteria defining exceptional circumstances and demanded that national associations be given the right to present their case in future disciplinary hearings.
Seeking greater transparency, the Belgian Football Association requested that the Balogun case be officially placed on the agenda for Thursday’s FIFA Council meeting.
