Balogun red and expansion keep FIFA in spotlight

Almost a week after the United States became the final co-host to exit World Cup 2026, the fallout from the suspension of striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban continues.

Organizers FIFAtook the near-unprecedented decision to suspend the forward’s ban after an intervention from US President Donald Trump and despite FIFA having statutes forbidding political interference.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino when defending the process.

“They operate autonomously … Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”

This particular decision was taken by FIFA’s 18-strong disciplinary committee, or at least this was the impression given by FIFA’s communications. But a report from UK newspaper The Times stated on Monday that the committee’s chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali, made the call unilaterally.

“Senior figures in football have questioned why FIFA has declined to publish the written reasons for the Balogun decision, adding to the lack of transparency around the case, or even to explain why Balogun’s ban was waived,” Times report reads.

“It is the first time since automatic suspensions for red cards were introduced to the World Cup that one has been lifted.”

Committee decisions consistently taken by an individual

FIFA has not yet responded to questions on the matter from DW or any other outlet. Al-Kamali is a lawyer from the United Arab Emirates, which has strong links with the US, and heads the committee made up of legal experts, practicing lawyers and officials from football federations.

However, the committee’s power now appears to lie almost entirely in al-Kamali’s hands. The Financial Times reported last week that the body’s last 110 published decisions were made by one person, with al-Kamali “allowed to make rulings alone or delegate that power to someone else. Not all decisions are made public.”

Despite a host of other controversial decisions, no other rulings have been made by the disciplinary committee at the World Cup.

Infantino looks to expand World Cup still further

Though politics have been a constant theme, the newly expanded tournament has been widely hailed as a success on the pitch. Now Infantino has hinted that he is looking to further expand from 48 to 64 teams for the next men’s tournament in 2030.

“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world. Not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he told Swiss pay TV station blue Sport

“You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.”

Infantino called the 2026 expansion a “huge success” and nine that nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout rounds. However, only two of the nine Asian teams advanced from their groups and only one team from outside Europe and South America (Morocco) made the quarterfinals.

South American governing body CONMEBOL put forward an official proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams in April 2025, but no decision has yet been made on the 2030 tournament.

The 2030 World Cup is to be predominantly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the first three matches to be hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. This is ostensibly to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup, but it is also being seen as a way to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to host in 2034 as it means three continents (Europe, South America, Africa) all get a turn at hosting a competition at once, thus fulfilling FIFA’s remit to rotate tournaments around the continents.

The further expansion has not been entirely well received by other continental federations. Victor Montagliani, head of North American and Caribbean federation CONCACAF, said it “doesn’t feel right” and would harm “the broader football ecosystem.” His counterpart at the Asian federation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, said such a move would mean “chaos.” The European federation, UEFA, who are at loggerheads with FIFA, have said it is a “bad idea,” both for the tournament and qualifiying process. Complaints about an increased player workload also seem likely to be raised once again.

Despite the criticism, Infantino is expected to be easily reelected for another term next year, which would enable him to secure the expansion.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold