АНУ-ын ерөнхийлөгч Дональд Трамп ФИФА-гийн ерөнхийлөгч Жанни Инфантинотой холбогдож, Фоларин Балогуны улаан хуудсыг цуцлуулахад нөлөөлсөн гэх асуудал олон улсад шүүмжлэл дагууллаа.
АНУ-ын шигшээ багийн довтлогч Фоларин Балогун Босни ба Херцеговины эсрэг хийсэн тоглолтод улаан хуудас авч, улмаар дараагийн шатанд Бельгийн эсрэг тоглох эрхээ алдаад байсан юм. Гэвч ФИФА ямар нэгэн албан ёсны давж заалдах үйл явцгүйгээр түүний шийтгэлийг гэнэт цуцалсан нь олны анхаарлыг татав. Дональд Трамп өөрөө Жанни Инфантино руу залгаж, уг шийдвэрийг эргэн харахыг хүссэнээ хүлээн зөвшөөрсөн ч улс төрийн дарамт үзүүлээгүй гэж мэдэгдлээ.
Норвегийн хөлбөмбөгийн холбооны ерөнхийлөгч Лизе Клавенес уг үйл явдлыг хөлбөмбөгийн дүрэм журам, зарчмыг ноцтой зөрчсөн үйлдэл хэмээн үзэж байна. Тэрээр удирдах зөвлөлтэйгээ зөвлөлдсөний дараа ФИФА-д албан ёсны гомдол гаргахаа мэдэгдлээ. Клавенес ФИФА-гийн удирдлага улс төрийн нөлөөнд автаж, дүрэм журмыг гадны хүчний шахалтаар өөрчилсөн нь байгууллагын нэр хүндийг унагаж буйг онцолсон юм.
ФИФА-гийн зүгээс сахилгын хороо нь бие даасан байгууллага бөгөөд шийдвэрийг дүрэм журмын дагуу гаргасан гэж тайлбарлаж байна. Гэвч өмнө нь арванхоёрдугаар сард FairSquare байгууллагаас Жанни Инфантиног улс төрийн төвийг сахих үүргээ зөрчиж, Дональд Трампад “ФИФА-гийн Энх тайвны шагнал” гардуулсан хэмээн гомдол гаргаж байсан удаатай. Энэхүү асуудлаар Европын парламентын 50 гишүүн ч мөн ФИФА-д хандаж, тайлбар шаардсан байна.
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The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) intends to make a formal complaint to FIFA over United States President Donald Trump’s role in the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card.
NFF president Lise Klaveness confirmed the plans to raise the issue, which follows her federation’s backing of December’s ethical complaint in relation to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s decision to award President Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.
U.S. men’s national team striker Balogun was sent off during his side’s last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should have resulted in him being banned for the last-16 tie with Belgium. Despite there being no formal process or precedent to appeal the sanction, The Athletic exclusively revealed the day before the game that FIFA had suspended the ban. Trump later confirmed he called Infantino to ask for a review of the striker’s suspension.
“This case was so serious and so worrying that I hope that it might contribute to bring people out a little bit and don’t fear to bring up cases,” Klaveness said in an interview with The Times of London. “I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss with my board, and then we do it (complain).”
Klaveness said it was widely acknowledged the decision was “influenced” by external forces” without due process and argued the working around of rules put the fundamentals of the game in jeopardy.
Balogun was dismissed following a VAR review (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
FIFA has said that the decision was made by an independent disciplinary committee. The Athletic reportedthat the Trump administration and lawyers it recruited were part of a coordinated lobbying effort that put pressure on FIFA to rule in Balogun’s favour.
“We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error,” Klaveness added.
“If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behaviour and the organisation’s behaviour, and also the red line of what states’ leaders should interfere with. And that happened.”
Infantino has defended his role in the Balogun decision, confirming his conversation with Trump but denying political interference.
“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” he said in a statement during the tournament. “They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”
Why The World Cup Set A Worrying Precedent
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Trump also confirmed his conversation with the FIFA president but downplayed his influence on the decision.
“All I did, I asked for a review, because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said. “And again, I’m good at this stuff. I think they made a brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible.”
In December, an official complaint was submitted to FIFA’s Ethics Committee, alleging “repeated breaches” of FIFA’s duty of political neutrality by Infantino, while also requesting an investigation into the process that saw Trump receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw.
The complaint was made by FairSquare, a non-profit organisation and advocacy group which focuses mainly on global labour migration rights, political repression and sport. The complaint subsequently received the support of the NFF, with Klaveness criticising the fact that Infantino made the decision to award the prize without consulting the FIFA Council.
Fifty members of the European Parliament (MEPs) wrote to FIFA in June asking the governing body to address the complaint.
In FIFA’s statutes, it says that “FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion.” FIFA’s Code of Ethics also “requires that all persons bound by the code remain politically neutral … in dealings with government institutions.”
