FIFA, Folarin Balogun and FIFA Council
14 October 2026
FIFA is preparing a rule change to prevent automatic one-match red-card suspensions from being suspended. The proposal follows controversy over the decision to suspend the ban handed to United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup.
The proposal would amend the disciplinary code to make an automatic one-game ban ineligible for suspension. Questions were raised after US President Donald Trump said he contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino about Balogun’s case. The amendment remains a proposal, not an adopted rule.