FIFA's bizarre Folarin Balogun flip-flop stuns World Cup, but should anyone really be surprised?

If FIFA is going to live up to its reputation as a nakedly corrupt, comically soulless governing body of the world’s most popular sport, at least this time they’re doing it on behalf of 340 million Americans. The decision to suspend USMNT star Folarin Balogun’s one-game red card ban , allowing him to play in Monday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium , makes no sense by the letter of the law and comes with no good explanation. It smacks of favoritism for the host country or, if you really want to get conspiracy-brained, a favor to an American president who called the decision “reversing a great injustice” on social media. It feels like the kind of decision you’d get in boxing or at the Olympics when the Russians or Chinese wriggle out of a doping scandal. And, speaking as an American on this Fourth of July weekend, we thank them for their service. All you Europeans now complaining? Go cry in your warm beers. In all seriousness, this decision is probably not great for the credibility of the World Cup , which has already seen plenty of gripes from smaller countries like Ecuador and Ghana over key calls and non-calls that went against them when playing powerhouses Germany and England, respectively. When an organization viewed as unethical in the first place puts its thumb on the scale like this, it’s natural to wonder if there’s more than meets the eye. And if you’re Belgian, you have to be wondering why the red card rule exists at all if it can be so arbitrarily waved away by a governing body that doesn’t need to explain a thing. All FIFA must do to get the result it wants is to invoke Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, which states: “The judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.” Translation: FIFA’s “judicial body” can do whatever the heck it wants. Even for fans of American sports leagues, where the commissioner sometimes has wide latitude to implement a disciplinary measure, this provision should seem rather fishy. We’re not talking about a subjective issue here. If you get a red card, you’re out the next game. Even if the red card shouldn’t have been given in the first place — more on that in a moment — that’s been the rule forever. USA's Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring his third goal of the World Cup. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images) John Dorton/USSF via Getty Images If FIFA has decided these suspensions are now up for debate based on whether it was a good call or not, then Pandora’s Box is officially open. Either set up a formal and transparent appeal process or change the rules and get rid of the automatic one-game suspension altogether. Otherwise every decision is going to feel like a bunch of guys in a smoke-filled room making it up as they go along. Which, to defend FIFA for a brief moment, might actually be the best way to run their tournament! Consider the circumstances of what happened Wednesday against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The foul that earned Balogun’s red card wasn’t even called on the field in real time and only became a possibility once VAR got involved. And even from there, you can make a good argument that what seems at full speed to be a normal collision only turns into something nefarious when put into slo-mo. As both players jostle for the ball, Balogun’s foot comes down directly on the ankle of Tarik Muharemović. While it was an unfortunate play, it’s hard to see how it was a dirty one — or one that should cost America’s premier striker a chance to play in the biggest game of his life based on one referee’s decision. And that is why FIFA’s maze of committees, which all report to each other, allow for the smoke-filled room outcome we see here. Is it better to have the right result, even if it makes a mockery of the rules, or is it better to have uniform rules adherence if it’s the wrong decision for the sake of the tournament? After all, this is sports. It’s entertainment. Unless there was a truly egregious foul by Balogun — and this just doesn’t rise to that level — it is better for FIFA to have the U.S. team playing at full strength for a knockout round game than missing its top goal scorer. Is that corruption, or is it common sense? The other time before this tournament Article 27 was applied to “suspend a suspension” involved Cristiano Ronaldo. After a red card in a World Cup qualifying match that initially earned him a three-game ban, Ronaldo got a reprieve that allowed him to play for Portugal. Why? Because it’s Ronaldo and anybody who cares about TV ratings would go crazy if one of the biggest stars in the world couldn’t play due to a suspension carrying over from the previous tournament. That’s how things work — or, at least, it seems to be how FIFA works. Which is interesting given the dynamic between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and President Trump. In the lead-up to the World Cup, Infantino spent a remarkable amount of time and money lavishing Trump with praise, gifts and the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” — which is now drawing scrutiny from the European Parliament after an ethics complaint by FairSquare. Now, according to several reports on Sunday, Trump directly called Infantino on Wednesday and asked him to the review the suspension. Given Trump’s social media posts on the issue, we can’t be too surprised. Was it a corrupt deal between two politicians, or did FIFA use a loophole to overturn a decision that never should have happened in the first place? Maybe it’s a bit of both. In some ways now, it’s a no-win situation for the Americans. If the U.S. beats Belgium, millions of people around the world will be convinced the win is tainted and the tournament is rigged. If the U.S. loses after getting such a lucky break from the FIFA gods, it will be double the embarrassment. American soccer would never live down the stench of having the president make a call to get such an important suspension overturned only to lose to a country with roughly the same population as Ohio. Team USA is 1-4 all-time in the Round of 16 with many tales of misfortune across its World Cup history. This time, on home soil and with a complete lineup, there will be no excuse for failure. Between Infantino, Trump, a poor use of VAR and a rulebook with a lot of room to operate, the U.S. and Balogun been given the ultimate reprieve. Even if it’s all a little ridiculous, American privilege in soccer happens so rarely that we have no business apologizing for it this time.