Yesterday’s decision to suspend the application of a one-match automatic ban for a year on probation in connection with the red card issued to player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.
Football, like any other sport, is based on rules which are the basis of fair, fair and transparent competition. Sometimes the rules are open to interpretation. In this case, no. The minimum automatic one-match suspension following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require a decision by a competent authority. This is a principle built into the rules, from which no exceptions can be made, let alone in the middle of a tournament when several other players were in the same situation and were regularly serving suspensions.
When safety guarantors no longer guarantee certainty of rules, the integrity of the game is at stake and confidence in the competition is undermined. Equally, this decision sets a precedent in the current tournament where similar situations will now require equal treatment at the expense of competition.
Football is the most beloved sport in the world because it is a beautiful game and it is trusted because it is played everywhere according to the same laws. A tournament never stands on its own, and when it comes to the World Championship, it can have both positive and negative consequences for the game as a whole.
We express our distrust in such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustified decision.