Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jul 18

Fifa Meets Trump Over World Cup Final Trophy Role as Smoke Threatens 1.6 Billion-Viewer Showpiece

Updated

Updated · The Guardian · Jul 18

Fifa Meets Trump Over World Cup Final Trophy Role as Smoke Threatens 1.6 Billion-Viewer Showpiece

Q: What FIFA rule loophole allowed the unprecedented reversal of a player's red card during the World Cup?

The loophole was **Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code**, which lets FIFA’s judicial body **suspend the implementation of a disciplinary sanction** and place the player on probation instead of making the ban take effect immediately. That mattered because a straight red card normally triggers an **automatic one-match suspension** under FIFA’s standard rules, including the World Cup competition regulations. In Balogun’s case, however, the disciplinary committee did not erase the red card itself. It used Article 27 to **suspend the one-game ban for a one-year probationary period**, which made him eligible to play against Belgium. The controversy arose because this appeared to override the usual automatic-ban framework. Critics, including Belgium’s federation and UEFA, argued that red-card suspensions in the World Cup are meant to be automatic and consistently enforced. FIFA’s position was that Article 27 gave its disciplinary body the discretion to delay enforcement of the sanction, so long as the case did not involve match manipulation. So the key rule mechanism was not a formal appeal overturning the red card, but **the discretionary suspension of the ban under Article 27**.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 18

Fifa officials met Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Friday to discuss his role at Sunday’s World Cup final, after confirming he will present the trophy alongside Gianni Infantino.
The talks reflect Fifa’s effort to avoid a repeat of last year’s Club World Cup controversy, when Trump appeared to intrude on Chelsea’s trophy celebrations and left players visibly bemused.
Air quality has become the other late concern for the New York-New Jersey final: smoke from Canadian wildfires pushed the city into a code red this week, disrupted flights and forced extra breaks in an NWSL match.
Conditions improved on Friday and Fifa expects rain on Saturday to clear more smoke before the final at MetLife, which has sold out all seven previous tournament matches.
Access to the stadium remains a logistical headache, with matchday rail fares cut to $98 from $150 after a state subsidy, while $20 shuttle buses from Manhattan are being offered.