Secretive FIFA Panel Behind Balogun Decision Faces Scrutiny

The FIFA disciplinary committee is facing questions over its independence and opaque procedures after suspending Folarin Balogun’s red card. catcross.org

FIFA’s disciplinary committee has come under renewed scrutiny over its structure and decision-making after it suspended the enforcement of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban during the World Cup.

The 18-member body is chaired by Mohammad Al Kamali, an Emirati lawyer and former lawmaker who is permitted to issue decisions alone or delegate that authority to another committee member, the Financial Times reported.

Although the committee includes lawyers and football officials from several countries, its past 110 published decisions were each issued by a single adjudicator.

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Balogun received a straight red card during the United States’ round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The dismissal ordinarily should have triggered an automatic suspension from the next match.

However, the committee kept the disciplinary measure in place but suspended its implementation for a one-year probationary period under Article 27 of FIFA’s disciplinary code. The decision allowed Balogun to face Belgium in the round of 16.

FIFA announced the decision after US President Donald Trump contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino and asked the governing body to review the red card.

The committee’s opaque procedures had intensified concerns over whether FIFA’s judicial bodies operate independently. Legal experts also questioned whether Article 27 could be used to override a suspension under World Cup regulations.

FIFA’s official description of the committee says decisions should normally involve at least three members, but allows the chairperson to rule alone in special cases. FIFA has not identified who personally decided the Balogun case or published the full reasoning.

Al Kamali said the committee acted independently and described the suspended sanction as a balanced measure permitted by FIFA’s rules. FIFA also said similar disciplinary mechanisms had been used in European football and in the earlier case involving Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

UEFA accused FIFA of crossing a “red line,” while the Belgian Football Association said the decision undermined fair play and complained that it had not received sufficient information to challenge the ruling.

The United States lost 4-1 to Belgium despite Balogun’s inclusion and were eliminated from the tournament.

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ENPPI and Petrojet will combine their top-flight football operations with El Sharkia SC and Suez SC under new regional identities.

Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports has approved separate partnerships pairing ENPPI with Sharkia SC and Petrojet with Suez SC, creating two companies to operate the clubs’ football divisions, with the petroleum-sector companies retaining operational control.

The agreements will establish sports services companies responsible for management, operations, and commercial investment.

Under the ENPPI-Sharkia structure, ENPPI will own 51% of a company provisionally named ENPPI Best and will retain management control.

Sharkia’s own lower-division licence will be frozen. The new operation will effectively use ENPPI’s Premier League position while adopting a regional base and an identity connected to El Sharkia.

The arrangement, therefore, places ENPPI in the controlling position. Sharkia provides the local identity, stadium, and supporter base, but will remain the minority shareholder.

Sharkia, however, must still secure approval from an extraordinary general assembly scheduled for August 7 to reduce the club’s stake in the football company to 49%. Should the meeting fail to reach a quorum, the club’s board is expected to receive authority to decide.

The Petrojet-Suez agreement follows a similar model. Suez SC president Moataz Selim said the new company would operate under a joint name and play its home matches at Suez Stadium.

Suez has frozen its third-division licence, allowing the combined team to compete in the Premier League through Petrojet’s existing place.

Selim said the company would have a five-member board, with three seats allocated to the company-club side and two to Suez.

That structure also leaves Petrojet as the dominant partner. Suez retains its geographical identity and home stadium but does not control the new football operation.

The announcements said the decision implemented “presidential directives to support historically supported clubs, make greater commercial use of their assets, and improve the financial sustainability of Egyptian football.”

Suez SC had called an extraordinary general assembly earlier this month to discuss establishing a sports-services company. Only 94 of the club’s 4,756 eligible members attended, leaving the meeting without a legal quorum.

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the governing body will consider expanding the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.

FIFA will examine a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, president Gianni Infantino said, potentially adding another 16 nations to the tournament.

“A 64-team tournament is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.

Infantino described the 48-team format as a success and argued that broader participation could encourage football development in smaller countries.

The South American Football Confederation had previously proposed a one-off 64-team tournament in 2025 to mark the World Cup’s centenary.

At the time, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez said the expansion would allow more countries to participate in the anniversary edition, 100 years after Uruguay hosted the inaugural tournament.

The proposal has faced opposition from senior football officials. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said a 64-team competition would weaken both the World Cup and regional qualifying tournaments.

The 2030 World Cup will be hosted primarily by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each stage one opening match as part of the centenary celebrations.

Under the existing 48-team format, the tournament would feature 104 matches. A 64-team competition would require FIFA to revise the qualification system, tournament structure, and match schedule.

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Philadelphia, United States: France needed a second-half Kylian Mbappe penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side on Saturday, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco.

Paraguay's efforts to get under the skin of France's superstars worked for three quarters of a game played in front of 68,324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions.

However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappe converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doue was brought down.

This was not an attacking masterclass by the French like they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.

It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all of the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.

Mbappe's brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament's joint-top scorer with seven goals.

The Real Madrid striker now has 19 World Cup goals in total -- from 19 appearances -- meaning he is just one behind Messi's overall record of 20.

Didier Deschamps' team will now return to their Boston base to prepare for a last-eight clash in nearby Foxborough next Thursday against the Moroccans, who beat Canada 3-0 earlier.

It was a sweltering day in Philadelphia, with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) and extreme weather warnings in place in case of storms.

France's last visit to Lincoln Financial Field, during the group phase, was affected by storms, as rain and thunder led to a two-hour delay during their 3-0 win over Iraq.

July 4 celebrations

This time there were no interruptions to a game played on the 250th anniversary of US independence, and in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

A pre-match concert on the pitch featured a rendition of the US national anthem by the actress Idina Menzel, a performance by hip-hop band The Roots, and a US Air Force flyover.

A fireworks display in the city to mark July 4 was not due to take place until later, and the anticipated French pyrotechnics on the pitch were contained for long spells by the Paraguayans.

Ranked 41st in the world, Paraguay had ousted Germany on penalties in the last round and were aiming to claim another huge scalp here.

They played with a back five, defended with a low block, and were quite happy to live up to some South American stereotypes with a cynical approach at times.

That led to Mbappe's frustrations getting the better of him as he got involved in a shoving match with Andres Cubas. Moments later, Matias Galarza had a little lash out at the France captain off the ball.

France had practically all of the ball but struggled to do anything with it, being restricted to shots from long range.

Manu Kone had one attempt deflected just wide midway through the first half and another tipped over by Orlando Gill not long after the restart.

Paraguay's attempts to frustrate France were working, but the dark arts would only get them so far.

While Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele were struggling to influence the game, Deschamps opted to remove Bradley Barcola and put Doue on the left wing in his place.

That was just after the hour mark, and Doue quickly made an impact.

When he attempted to dribble his way through a sea of Paraguayan defenders, he went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The foul was clear and the Uzbek referee pointed to the spot after a review.

Dembele protected the penalty spot as several Paraguay players tried to rough it up. Mbappe then stepped forward and slotted in.

Having won on penalties in the last round, Paraguay's resistance was broken by one this time.

It was not a vintage France performance, but Mbappe almost scored again in stoppage time, and they have taken another step towards their goal.

In 1998 they needed a golden goal to beat Paraguay at the same stage of the competition. And they went on to win that World Cup.

Madrid: Atletico Madrid announced Saturday the signing of Danish international defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand from Sporting Lisbon.

The 27-year-old has joined the 2020/21 La Liga champions on a contract that will run until 2031.

In a statement on their website, Atletico praised the Dane's "physical strength, his ability to win the ball back and his reading of the game".

He has represented Denmark on 27 occasions, scoring one goal.

After playing in his homeland and Austria, Hjulmand moved in 2021 to Lecce, where, aged 23 he became the second-youngest player to captain a Serie A side, after Francesco Totti at Roma.

From there, he joined Sporting and, during his three seasons in Lisbon, won two Primeira Liga titles as well as the Portuguese Cup.

So far this transfer window, Atletico have signed Spanish international left-back Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen, while they are also set to recruit Korean forward Lee Kang-in from European champions Paris Saint-Germain.