Norwegian soccer head to file ethics complaint over Balogun’s overturned suspension

By Liam Griffin - The Washington Times - Thursday, July 23, 2026

Lise Klaveness, the head of the Norwegian Football Federation, says she’s concerned about FIFA’s ethics.

She plans to file a formal complaint after the international soccer body opted not to ban U.S. forward Folarin Balogun after his red card during the World Cup this month.

Balogun was initially slated to miss the Americans’ round-of-16 game against Belgium following the foul called in the U.S. knockout win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. After a phone call from President Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that Balogun would not have to serve the customary one-match suspension.

“When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk. It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game,” Ms. Klaveness told The Times of London on Thursday, noting that FIFA tried to sweep the issue “under the carpet.”

If Ms. Klaveness follows through, Norway’s soccer association would be the first to file an official complaint related to the decision. Other organizations, including European governing body UEFA, issued statements condemning the move.

The Norwegian Football Federation had already expressed other concerns, filing a complaint after Mr. Infantino awarded Mr. Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December.

FIFA has insisted that there was no outside influence on the decision to reverse Balogun’s suspension. Many American fans cheered overturning the red card, calling his foul hardly worth such a drastic punishment.

Plus, said Mr. Trump, Belgium can say its 4-1 victory over America was especially deserving since Balogun played.

Yet others have piled on, with human rights group FairSquare filing an official complaint with the International Olympic Committee, which Mr. Infantino belongs to, over the appearance of partiality.

“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process,” Ms. Klaveness said. “We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.”