Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister is a former Wales captain
- Published17 minutes ago
Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister says there is a risk of "an absolute cesspit" of political interference in football after Folarin Balogun avoided a ban at the World Cup.
Balogun should have been suspended for the USA's last-16 tie against Belgium after his red card against Bosnia-Herzgovina.
But the Monaco striker played against the Belgians after his one-game ban was suspended by Fifa following an intervention by US President Donald Trump.
Fifa's decision led to widespread criticism, with Trump saying he had personally asked for a review of Balogun's dismissal because he "didn't think it was a foul".
Uefa, European football's governing body, expressed "disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision".
Now former Wales international McAllister, a Uefa vice-president since 2023, says she is concerned by what the Balogun decision - and Trump's involvement - could mean for football.
"You're creating an absolute cesspit for the future because anyone can appeal," she told BBC Radio Wales.
"Any political leader could potentially pick up the phone and say there's a precedent for changing a punishment awarded to a player and I think it's extremely dangerous.
"I work with Uefa and we're very clear what the rules of our competitions are. We know exactly what rules and regulations are applied - as do all the participants at the beginning - so to even create an environment where you can undermine the awarding of punishments on the pitch for right or wrong is very dangerous".
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Figure caption,President Trump on Balogun red-card suspension
In a statement on X,, external Fifa president Gianni Infantino confirmed that he received a call from Trump and that he told the US President there was "an ongoing legal process involving Fifa's independent judicial bodies and that the case would be decided in due course by the competent bodies".
Uefa said that intervening to effectively cancel a suspension at a tournament "crossed a red line".
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who was replaced by Infantino in 2016 after a corruption scandal, wrote on X that "football must never become a playground for political power".
McAllister said Infantino is in a difficult position - but added that the "politics that operate in football", particularly at global level, are "very different to anything we would normally accept and tolerate".
"I think in a normal environment there would be doubts cast on Infantino's leadership, but I think you have to say football isn't a normal environment," added McAllister.
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"I think in the lead-up to this World Cup it was understandable that Gianni Infantino needed to ensure that Trump was on board with this huge tournament that effectively funds everything that Fifa does.
"But I think it just went too far and he was trapped into this vortex of a relationship with Trump which meant that what happened on the weekend was almost bound to happen."
McAllister, who is also a professor of public policy at Cardiff University, added: "I think Trump has been given a status well beyond the leader of a host country - because don't forget there were two other host countries - and somehow was embroiled in the whole tournament organisation.
"His speech in the White House pretty much underlined that he felt it was his decision about whether it was a foul and whether it was fair, whereas of course it should rest with the governing body itself."
Despite the involvement of Balogun, the USA were knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday as they were beaten 4-1 by the Belgians in Seattle.
After the game, Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt a "sense of injustice" over the suspension of Balogun's ban.
The official Instagram account for the Belgium national team also appeared to mock the debacle, posting a picture of striker Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear with the caption "overturn this".
