Zlatan Ibrahimović has come under fire after publicly supporting FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend one of the bans imposed on United States player Folarin Balogun, allowing him to face Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The decision, which was announced just days after Balogun received a straight red card in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has sparked controversy throughout football, with reports suggesting political pressure may have influenced the result. The situation escalated after Donald Trump publicly said he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for the decision to be overturned, as allegations of political interference spread and fueled public debate over FIFA’s independence and integrity. Although FIFA has insisted that the decision was made independently, the timing of the decision and Trump’s comments have only increased the scrutiny.
FIFA overturned Balogun’s suspension before the Belgium clash
Balogun was expected to miss the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium after receiving a red card in the 64th minute of the Americans’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.The Arsenal striker, who had already opened the scoring before being sent off for a challenge on Tarik Muharemović, was handed a one-match ban under FIFA competition rules.However, FIFA later announced that the penalty would not be implemented immediately.In a statement, the world governing body said:“In accordance with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the imposition of a one-match suspension is a probationary period of one year.”The decision means Balogun, who has scored three goals and provided three assists in the tournament, is still available to face Belgium as the United States chase their first World Cup finals appearance since 2002.
Ibrahimović supports the idea of FIFA
Working as FOX Sports’ World Cup commentator, Ibrahimović welcomed FIFA’s intervention and said Balogun should not have been sacked in the first place.“What I want to say is that I am happy in the US,” Ibrahimović said.“As Thierry said, he shouldn’t have had a red card in the first place, so this decision should have come sooner.“But I’m happy with the US team because they’ve been amazing, but Balogun has been amazing and he’s an added strength.”His comments quickly divided opinion online.One supporter wrote: “These guys are not allowed to criticize FIFA. This is home cooking for insults.”Another wrote: “Zlatan fakes this big man all the time but look at the television where it matters.
Henry agrees with the results but questions the timing
Ibrahimović’s FOX Sports co-host Thierry Henry he also insisted that Balogun should not have been sent off, but insisted that FIFA’s delay had unfairly affected Belgium’s preparations.“Yes, it’s the situation in Belgium, the news is almost over,” Henry said in a video shared with FOX Sports on X.“That must have confused them a bit because you prepare the game to play a certain way and then all of a sudden you have to change your preparation.“That’s what happens when you do something like that. Three, four days to make a decision.”Henry reiterated his belief that the original dismissal was wrong.“Now we have to go back to the point. I don’t think it was a red card, and we all said it. We all know it wasn’t… it wasn’t intentional.”However he acknowledged the confusion caused by FIFA’s late intervention.“I have to say that if you are Belgian, preparing for the game, it changes everything.”Henry added that while similar things may have happened in the past, based on Garrincha’s case decades ago, the main issue remained the timing and not the final decision.“I was like okay, fair call, but why so late?”
Neville, Keane and Wright criticize the way FIFA works
His performance on ITV Sport was particularly controversial, with Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright all questioning FIFA’s performance and consistency.Keane said:“It seems unfair because it is unfair.“You have to look at the opposition team in terms of their preparation and it seems like a reaction to each other, let’s say.”Neville kept his strong opposition to FIFA only.“It stinks, let’s be clear.“The thing that really stinks is that there should be a review process because I don’t think it’s a red card.“I think there should be a way to allow it to be dropped, but if there is no way to drop it then somehow FIFA, from somewhere else, has decided that a player should play… and the rules are the same for everyone.“I would have been very angry if I had been Belgium or any other team in the competition where players were sent off who would think it was a problem.“Do you know anything? Are we surprised? No, not with this much.”Wright also questioned the integrity of FIFA’s handling of the incident.“The suspension should have been given during the race.“This suspension does not happen often, but we are talking about justice, people are speaking openly, but you see some of the things that have happened in this tournament with other teams… it is a shame especially since he is an American player.“Whether he’s guilty of what he did, whether we think he deserved a red card or not, some of the things that have happened at the World Cup have been shameful.”With Belgium already looking at its legal options for the decision and criticism from around the world, Balogun’s presence has become one of the most debated topics in the tournament ahead of the round of 16 clash in Seattle.